James Franco stars in the biopic Milk as Scott Smith, the boyfriend of gay activist and politician Harvey Milk. In November, Franco talked with Terry Gross about building his character for Milk, kissing Sean Penn, going back to college, and his past career as a cologne thief.
Franco got his big break on the short-lived but critically acclaimed TV show Freaks and Geeks. He went on to play Harry Osborn in all three Spider-Man films. He also starred in Pineapple Express with Seth Rogen and portrayed James Dean for a 2001 TV biopic about Dean.
This interview originally aired Nov. 24, 2008.
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