Actor James Franco says he has dropped a plan to give a commencement speech at the University of California, Los Angeles, a move that may have been prompted by pressure from students.
Franco issued a statement saying he canceled his June 12 appearance because of conflicts with preproduction demands for his next film.
However, the "Pineapple Express" star had been the object of opposition from students who said he was not the right fit for the commencement speech.
"The problem with him as a speaker comes down to the fact he was a peer for so many of us," UCLA senior Erin Moore said. "He was in our class. He's not a role model. And he hasn't had time to accomplish anything with his degree."
Franco, 31, enrolled at UCLA in 1996 and graduated last year with a degree in creative writing. He would have been the youngest person and most recent graduate to deliver a commencement speech at UCLA.
Soon after the commencement announcement in March, Moore set up a Facebook page called "UCLA Students Against James Franco as Commencement Speaker." Hundreds joined, and Moore estimated about 80 percent of them are UCLA students. Hmmm what do I think? Well, true the man has not accomplished much with his degree but then again schools have had persons like President Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and numerous other political and entertainment types speak at schools this year and to be honest, many of those students would of rather of had someone like Franco instead of who they had.
I think the students have a right to feel the way they do BUT lets be honest here. Franco has done more than any of them even before getting his degree from that school so perhaps they could listen to him give a speech being it that he DOES have a job. Something that they may be in need of since we're currently in a global recession.
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