James Franco has made another appearance at Cannes, marking his third year back at the festival after a long period away from the spotlight.
The 48-year-old looked cheerful as he paused for photos on the Cannes red carpet alongside his long-term partner, Izabel Pakzad, 30. The pair were there for the opening-night screening of The Electric Kiss on May 12.
They coordinated in head-to-toe black, with Franco switching between wearing sunglasses and posing without them. Pakzad wore a floor-length black gown featuring a high thigh slit.
Franco and Pakzad have been together since 2017. Pakzad, who works as both an actress and filmmaker, previously appeared in an episode of Franco’s HBO series The Deuce.
After last attending Cannes in 2015, Franco returned to the festival in 2024 and again in 2025, following a nine-year gap.
In 2018, the Hey Joe actor faced sexual misconduct allegations from five women, including four who said they had been his acting students.
Following the claims, the actor largely stepped away from acting for a period of time.
While speaking on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, he disputed the accusations but said he didn’t want to dismiss people who felt unheard.
“not accurate”
“shut down”
“didn’t have a voice”
Two of the women later pursued legal action. In 2021, Franco reached a settlement with two accusers, agreeing to pay more than $2 million.
The Spider-Man star also co-founded the acting and filmmaking school Studio 4 in 2014, though it closed three years later.
In 2024—around three years after he began acting again—Franco was asked whether he thought it was unfair to be pushed out of Hollywood.
However, he told Variety:
“I mean, it is what it is. I’ve honestly moved past it. It was dealt with, and I got to change,”
He added that he was trying to keep moving forward.
“trying to move on”
Elsewhere, Franco’s younger brother Dave previously spoke about how the controversy nearly affected his own career prospects.
Speaking to Bustle, the 21 Jump Street actor said:
“No one was going to hire me just because I was James Franco’s little brother. If I sucked, I would’ve disappeared very quickly.”
Dave also shared how he believes James feels about his continued success.
“At this point, I think he’s excited just to see me trying new things and to see me grow,”
James has regularly spoken positively about his brother’s abilities, and the two have appeared together on screen, including in The Disaster Artist.