James Franco says that films like I Am Michael are important because they challenge us and make us uncomfortable.
James Franco
Franco stars alongside Emma Roberts and Zachary Quinto in the film, and follows a gay activist who denounces homosexuality and becomes a Christian prior.
Franco is not stranger to tackling edgy roles and he believes that these are the types of stories that need to be told and raise questions about a range of different subject matter.
Speaking to BlackBook, the actor said: "There's the coming out narrative, the fighting for rights narrative, the closeted secret affair narrative, like we saw in 'Brokeback Mountain'.
"All of these films are very important, but not every movie needs to be like that. Once those stories are told, we can tell unexpected ones that might challenge us or make us uncomfortable in some ways."
"What I think is so innovative about 'I Am Michael' is that we're watching a man go in an unexpected direction, and that direction brings up a lot of questions about identity, and what identity consists of, and how it's defined, and who gets to decide. And this film tackles faith versus sexuality, and the tensions there, in an important way."
I Am Michael sees Justin Kelly in the director's chair making his feature film directorial debut. Kelly is no stranger to the director's chair with short films Debris, Front and Girl! already under his belt.
The movie is based on a New York Times Magazine article 'My Ex-Gay Friend' by Benoit Denizet-Lewis.
As for Franco, we are going to be seeing plenty of him on the big screen this year as he has already completed work on Zeroville, The Labyrinth, In Dubious Battle, The Little Prince, and Killing Animals.
Franco is currently filming Actors Anonymous, which sees him star alongside Eric Roberts and Keegan Allen, while Julio Vincent Gambuto and Julian Wolff are in the director's chair.
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