Actors Anonymous
Ratings2
Average rating3.5
15
Ratings2
Average rating3.5
" Actors Anonymous is unsettling, funny, personal, and dark, a story told in many forms, from testimonials (in the style of Alcoholics Anonymous) and scripts to letters, diaries, and more. Franco turns his "James Franco" persona inside out--sometimes humorously, often mercilessly. The book brims with profound insights into the nature and purpose of acting, bawdy satires of the high life, as well as deeply moving portraits of aspiring actors who never quite made it. Franco's seemingly inexhaustible celebrity currency makes this that rare work in which the writer's fame matches his considerable literary ambition. Partly inspired by Alcoholics Anonymous's Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, Actors Anonymous is an intense, wild ride that's pure Franco. "--
Reviews with the most likes.
I actually... kind of loved this?? I totally get why people would hate it–I think a lot of it has to do with how you feel about James Franco in general. Like, I totally understand why people hate his public persona–he's definitely a showy, pretentious, weird, perpetual art school student guy. I think James Franco kind of hates James Franco. But I'm fascinated by that, and I especially love how just... out there he is. Like almost compulsively honest, with these self-conscious little thought spirals.You can tell a lot of this is pretty autobiographical, and that's part of the appeal, I think, at least for me. I'm definitely fascinated by celebrity culture, and this is an insider's look at it. I also think that James Franco is using this book to work out some issues he has about women? Those were my least favorite parts, but even there, I sort of appreciated his basically transparent self-loathing. This kind of reminded me of [b:The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made 17404078 The Disaster Artist My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made Greg Sestero https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1373346749s/17404078.jpg 24240845], which I also loved largely for its behind the scenes look at ~Hollywood~. I would only strongly recommend this to people who already appreciate James Franco's general ethos. OR people who hate James Franco's general ethos and are looking for a spite read.
