He has starred in numerous films, including Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy (2002–2007), Milk (2008), Eat Pray Love (2010), Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Spring Breakers (2012), and Oz the Great and Powerful (2013).

[9] His mother, Betsy Lou (née Verne), is a children's book author and occasional actress, and his father, Douglas Eugene Franco, ran a Silicon Valley business.

[23][24] In his high school years, Franco was arrested for underage drinking, graffiti, and being a part of a group that stole designer fragrances from department stores and sold them to classmates.

[34][35] To immerse himself in the role, Franco went from being a non-smoker to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day, bleached his dark brown hair blond, and learned to ride a motorcycle as well as play guitar and the bongos.

Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly wrote: "Franco could have walked through the role and done a passable Dean, but instead gets under the skin of this insecure, rootless young man.

Franco was cast as a homeless drug addict in the drama City by the Sea (2002) after co-star Robert De Niro saw a snippet of his work in James Dean.

[43] The following year he made and starred in the black comedy The Ape[21] and the 2005 war film The Great Raid, in which he portrayed Robert Prince, a captain in the United States Army's elite Sixth Ranger Battalion.

[47] He then completed training for his Private Pilot Licence in preparation for his role in Flyboys,[25] which was released in September 2006; the same month, Franco appeared briefly in The Wicker Man, the remake of the seminal horror film.

[43] In this same year, Franco made a cameo appearance as himself in the Apatow-directed comedy Knocked Up, which starred Freaks and Geeks alumni Seth Rogen, Jason Segel and Martin Starr.

[25] Franco co-starred with Sienna Miller in the low-budget independent film Camille, a dark fantasy dramedy about a young newlywed couple and Interview, where he appears in a voice only role, both 2007 movies that were ignored by audiences and critics alike.

The movie premiered at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival and tells the story of two talented brothers who take very diverse paths in life, one going on to become a doctor whilst the other sibling (Franco) experiences unemployment and uses drugs.

[50] In her New York Times review, critic Manohla Dargis wrote: "He's delightful as Saul, loosey-goosey and goofy yet irrepressibly sexy, despite that greasy curtain of hair and a crash pad with a zero WAF (Woman Acceptance Factor).

Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times, in review of the film, wrote: "Franco is a nice match for him [Penn] as the lover who finally has enough of political life".

[61] Franco began 2010 by making an appearance on the sitcom 30 Rock where he played himself and carried on a fake romance with Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski) in a scheme concocted by their respective agents.

[62] After appearing in the commercial successes Date Night, an action comedy, and Eat Pray Love, an adaption of a novel, Franco played poet Allen Ginsberg in the drama Howl, released on September 24.

[63] 127 Hours centered on Ralston trying to free his hand after it became trapped under a boulder in a ravine while canyoneering alone in Utah and resorting to desperate measures in order to survive, eventually amputating his arm.

[66] After having an uncredited cameo in the opening scene of The Green Hornet (2011),[67] he starred opposite Natalie Portman and Danny McBride in the Medieval fantasy comedy Your Highness.

[74] It was announced in January 2011 that the actor has planned to not only star in, but direct himself in The Night Stalker, a film version of author Philip Carlo's book about the 1980s serial killer, Richard Ramirez.

[78] In February 2012, Franco began shooting a film version of Cormac McCarthy's 1973 novella Child of God, which stars Scott Haze as Lester Ballard.

[87] In 2016, Franco co-produced and starred in King Cobra, a true story about the rise of gay pornographic actor Brent Corrigan and the murder of Bryan Kocis.

Inspired by some of Franco's own teenage memories,[47] as well as memories written and submitted by high school students at Palo Alto Senior High School,[105] Palo Alto consists of life in that city as experienced by a series of teenagers who spend most of their time indulging in driving drunk, smoking marijuana, and taking part in unplanned acts of violence.

[107] Writing in The New York Times, reviewer and fellow author Joshua Mohr praised Franco for how, in the story "American History", he juxtaposed historical parts with a present-day social commentary that "makes the we wonder how much we've actually evolved in post-bellum America".

[110] In January 2011, Franco screened his multimedia project, entitled Three's Company The Drama, in which he merges video and art to update the titular sitcom, at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.

[111] Franco reunited with Milk director Van Sant to make Unfinished, a project that features two movies: Endless Idaho and My Own Private River.

[114] Numerous media viewers criticized Franco for his discontent and lack of energy on stage and the show was widely panned, with some reviewers dubbing it the worst telecast in its history.

[120] Franco continued his career as a filmmaker with The Broken Tower, a 90-minute docudrama shot in black and white about poet Hart Crane, who committed suicide by jumping off the steamship SS Orizaba.

[127] For his students' film projects, Franco has helped to attract actors, including Seth MacFarlane, Kate Mara, Natalie Portman, Chloe Sevigny, Kristen Wiig and Olivia Wilde.

[165] In March 2013, Franco was featured in half-page print advertisements for his alma mater UCLA which celebrated the university's famous alumnus as a "prolific academic" and carried the tagline: "Some A-Listers Actually Get A's".

[174] His wearing of the pin immediately drew criticism on social media from actress Ally Sheedy, who hinted that she had quit acting after working with Franco on a play.

[183] In June 2021, terms of the settlement were revealed, and it was disclosed that Franco, pending a judge's approval, would pay more than $2.2 million to resolve two legal disputes: one by the two women who cited sexual exploitation (they will receive $894,000), and another class-action plaint by approximately 1,500 Studio 4 students who maintain that they were defrauded.