Franco and Myles on Tristan & Isolde
Freaks and Geek star James Franco is proving that although the short lived cult classic only lasted one season, the talent that came from the show is lasting a lot longer.
Since the show ended in 1999, Franco has gone on to star in movies such as Never Been Kissed with Drew Barrymore and the made-for-television movie James Dean, which earned him a Golden Globe Award as well as an Emmy nomination and SAG nom for his portrayal as Dean.
Then of course you may have seen him as Harry Osborn, Peter Parker’s best friend in the first two installments of the “Spider-Man” franchise, based on the popular comic book. Although he is shooting the third Spidey film now, he was pretty tight-lipped about it during a recent interview but did say he’ll “be doing more action.”
Currently you can catch the rising star in Twentieth Century Fox’s romantic drama, Tristan & Isolde, the story based on a myth of a forbidden love that took place after the fall of Rome in the Dark Ages. Franco plays Tristan, a loyal English knight who is torn between his country and the woman he loves.
“I think what makes Tristan noble is that he has to sacrifice his personal desires for a larger good,” Franco said.
Wounded in battle and left for dead, Isolde (Sophia Myles) nurses Tristan back to health and hides him from her father who is the Irish King that is trying to keep England from uniting into one nation.
From the beginning the two have a powerful chemistry and fall deeply in love and later become involved in tragic love-triangle with Tristan’s uncle Lord Marke (Rufus Sewell) who saved his life as a child.
“I just wanted to do kind of a classic love story. I wanted to do a love story, but it’s hard to do a love story in a contemporary setting unless it’s kind of a romantic comedy. It’s hard to do a serious kind of love story. It works better in a period piece and this one seemed to work,” Franco explained.
His co-star, English beauty Myles plays the part of Isolde brilliantly and said while she believes in love at first sight like her character, she’s experienced a different kind of love.
“I’ve experienced love at second sight. I have no recollection of meeting him the first time and he thought I was a frosty b*tch. I just saw him and I just thought ding-dong,” she laughed.
In the film, Tristan and Isolde’s intense affair ends almost as quickly as it began when the Irish princess sends him away before her father finds and kills him. The next time they see each other is at a tournament where she is the unsuspectingly prize Tristan has just won for his uncle.
Now the two must live with Isolde as the wife of the Lord and hold back their feelings for each other for the sake of their country.
Franco laughed and said he hasn’t always had the best luck in relationships himself.
“What I did was try to create drama maybe when there is none. I did stupid things like climbing through people’s windows when they weren’t expecting it. It didn’t work out well for me. You know it was border line stalker. Fortunately I was young enough and I didn’t get into too much trouble. But, I definitely didn’t win the girl. You have to have a girl that reciprocates your feelings.”
Tristan & Isolde hits theaters Friday the 13th.