James Franco watched male prostitutes in action to research his role as a gigolo in his movie Sonny.The actor, currently staring in stoner comedy Pineapple Express, hung around strip clubs and brothels in New Orleans, Louisiana - where the Nicolas Cage-directed movie was set.Franco - who plays an escort who returns from a spell in the army and is forced to return to his former profession - tells GQ magazine, "There was a strip club on Bourbon Street. There was one they advertise as 'Live Sex Shows' and I went in there and met a male stripper who said he was straight and that he serviced men and women. He was the guy I hung out with most."He even watched as his pal serviced clients, adding, "(On one occasion) a guy came in and said to my friend, 'Hey man, I need you for a job right now.'"

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