James Franco Talks Ex-Girlfriends, Dating in the Digital Age & "Angry" Texting

Actor opens up in the new issue of Elle magazine

James Franco is certainly one who doesn't mind sharing. (Heck, given some of his selfies, one might say he often overshares.)

So, it doesn't come as too much of a surprise that the 36-year-old actor was willing to open up to Elle about a number of topics.

For instance, when asked if he ever had a Hollywood crush growing up, he says, "Winona Ryder in Heathers and everything she did in that era. She was so cool as an outsider. The first freak and geek."

Talk of crushes invariably leads to other questions about his youth, especially seeing how his new film Palo Alto (based on his book of the same name) deals with the pains of adolescence.

"I wasn't the best socializer," Franco admits. "I was shy, but I had a girlfriend named Jasmine my last two years. I was lucky to have someone who stuck around like that. I was a little confused and mixed-up when it came to dating."

Meanwhile, when it comes to romance and dating nowadays, the This Is the End star notes that social media can sometimes make it a bit challenging.

"You get to know someone much quicker," he says. "The downside is when people aren't tech savvy and don't express themselves well through digital media."

So, has Franco himself ever sent, say, a text message to a woman, only to regret it later?

"Um, yeah," he admits. "I have to remind myself not to text when I'm angry. Don't do any social networking while angry."