Scarlett Johansson has called out James Franco for wearing a Time's Up pin to the Golden Globe Awards, less than a week before the Los Angeles Times published allegations accusing him of sexual harassment.
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Speaking at the Los Angeles Women's March on Saturday, Johansson commented on the behaviour of an anonymous person, who her representative later confirmed to People was Franco.
"In light of the recent revelations regarding abuse of power, and sexual harassment, and the question of consent versus coercion, I find myself pensive, taking time, and digging deep to understand where we are, and how we got here. My mind baffles," the actor said.
"How could a person publicly stand by an organisation that helps to provide support for victims of sexual assault, while privately preying on people who have no power?"
Directly referencing Franco's decision to wear a Time's Up pin at the Golden Globes, Johansson added, "I want my pin back, by the way."
Five women accused Franco of "inappropriate or sexually exploitative behaviour" in an article published in the Los Angeles Times earlier this month.
The article came after some of the women expressed upset on Twitter that Franco was wearing the pin in support of Time's Up, a women's entertainment industry organisation created in the aftermath of sexual harassment and abuse by powerful industry figures including Harvey Weinstein.
Actor Sarah Tither-Kaplan, a former student at the film school founded by Franco who alleges he removed the plastic protective guards covering actors' vaginas while filming a scene involving simulated oral sex, told the Times that Franco wearing the pin was "like a slap in my face".
Commenting on the allegations, Franco said they were "not accurate".
"In my life I pride myself on taking responsibility for things that I have done," the actor told Stephen Colbert during a television appearance earlier this month. "I have to do that to maintain my well being. The things that I heard that were on Twitter are not accurate. But I completely support people coming out and being able to have a voice because they didn't have a voice for so long. So I don't want to shut them down in any way."
Daily Life