james franco made a bold move as he sat down with Out Magazine, giving everyone a rare glimpse of himself. The 39-year-old actor gave an in-depth interview covering his struggles with depression and addiction, up to his directional challenges.

James Franco talks about old addiction

James Franco sat down with Out Magazine’s writer Edmund White and discussed his past addictions and new adventures, E! News reported. The 39-year-old actor is scheduled as the cover story for the September issue of the magazine. He shared how he overcame certain addictions and how he takes challenges found in his new passion.

"The Interview" actor started acting at the age of 17, at which time he was able to overcome certain addictions. Previously, he has outwardly spoken about getting into trouble when he was a teenager. He was caught drinking, doing graffiti and even selling stolen bottles of perfume and cologne. He got arrested for that last bit. That was the time he realized he needed to change and so he decided to take up acting. He admitted that he has a very addictive personality, People noted.

James Franco on acting and depression

While acting threw him off his bad habits, Franco found himself getting addicted by acting. In fact, he recalled not being able to socialize. Acting became everything to the “127 Hours” star.

After a decade of being in this state, he realized that he was experiencing symptoms of depression. While he appeared to be perfectly happy at the age of 27, he couldn't help but feel alone and isolated.

As a form of therapy, the “Spring Breakers” star took up surfing. He admitted that he has now started another chapter of his life.

Part of his on-going therapy is trying out directing. His upcoming HBO series “The Deuce” gave him the opportunity to work with Maggie Gyllenhaal, directing an intimate scene for the actress.

James Franco and his new passion - directing

James credited his co-star Maggie Gyllenhaal for the tremendous job she has done with the intimate scenes.

In addition to being an incredible actress, he praised Maggie for being fearless in handling the intimate scenes. If it had been anyone else, it would have been really awkward for him, he explained.

Overall, James Franco has found directing to be such a marvelous experience. “I’ve got to say, of all the things that I’ve done, and I’ve done a lot, the actual process of directing is the most fun, because you’re in the middle of all these different creative people,” he said.

The new HBO series covering the porn industry will premiere on September 10. Watch the trailer of "The Deuce" below.
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