James Franco's Newest Gig: Fashion Photographer

Actor is no stranger to experimenting with different...genres. This time around, he's working behind the camera rather than in front of it

By Leslie Gornstein Jul 26, 2012 7:15 PMTags
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All hail the new 7 For All Mankind campaign, featuring model Lily Donaldson and 50,000 other gorgeous people who are not James Franco!

Are we not making sense? Well, neither is 7 For All Mankind—the denim house that just released footage from its fall campaign. We love the clothes, of course, particularly the sexy, skinny reptile prints and sheer tops.

Our problem is that Franco took these photos and yet he's not in them. That is, according to us, a big old crime.

Maybe we should just distract ourselves with some other details.

Like, that fact that the shoot took place in the famous Hollywood Forever Cemetery, where many icons of old Hollywood are buried. That's real nice.

And here's a quote from Franco about the campaign: "The whole aesthetic approach of the campaign is based on the eternal hipness of the clothes," he says. "We can do a meditation on old and new Hollywood at the same time because of the way the clothes fit into all eras."

Specifically, according to Style.com, Franco was inspired by Hollywood screen hunk Rudolph Valentino.

"He was the great sex symbol of the silent film era, so much so that some journalists wrote pieces about the general decline of masculinity and blamed Valentino's suave effeminacy as the main cause," Franco opines. "But now, almost a hundred years later, we can champion the ambiguity of Valentino."

Right, right. That's all well and good. Now will someone please get that gorgeous guy in front of the camera?

One small bit of comfort—you can see Franco in some behind-the-scenes footage here.

Poll

The Fashion Police July 26 Poll

Do you prefer to see James Franco behind or in front of the camera?
Behind-the-scenes!
12.6%
Front and center!
87.4%