Oh Mr. Renaissance Man
I'm playing the sackbut for you
I only wish I had as many talents
To appear within your view.
NPR featured a great story and interview session with the one and only James Franco. It's almost exhausting to read just how many projects the talented actor/writer/student guy has his hands in. He's been dubbed the "Modern-Renaissance Man", a man skilled in multiple fields and disciplines (FYI, the term renaissance man is largely based on the various artists and scholars of the European Renaissance, (starting in about 1450 CE), who pursued multiple fields of studies.).
James Franco is a star of several films worth noting acting excellence (Milk and the upcoming 127 Hours), as well as a handful of flops (Tristan & Isolde anyone?) is a student whose resume boasts attending over six different colleges (Columbia University, New York University, Brooklyn College, Warren Wilson College, Yale University and the Rhode Island School of Design), is a painter and a published author (Palo Alto: Stories) whose voice reflects the likes of Ernest Hemmingway (or maybe a 13 year-old kid). Read an excerpt and let me know what you think.
His acting credits draw more attention when he's playing a real-life person (as opposed to a pothead a la Pineapple Express) and is thus far getting mostly positive reviews for the upcoming Howl (where he portrays the Beat poet Allen Ginsberg in the 1950s), and 127 Hours based off the true story of Aron Ralston (the rock climber who famously amputated his arm with a dull knife in order to free himself from under a boulder while mountaineering in May 2003.) Do not be surprised if you find yourself standing in ovation or feeling noxious in the bathroom stall--Franco's acting in 127 Hours reportedly caused several reviewers to pass out cold, entangled in his expression of emotion and the graphic display of the laborious amputation.
Franco admitted to NPR, "I have an addictive personality, so if there's something I like, it's hard for me to not engage with it fully, and to the point of doing physical harm to myself or mental harm."
I just hope this Renaissance man doesn't end up like the late Knight (A Knight's Tale anyone?) who famously portrayed The Joker (We all know the The Dark Knight) because as fickle as his overachieving efforts may seem, it is definitely rare to see a true Modern-Renaissance man, especially on the big screen.
