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James Franco, best known for his roles in Hollywood films, surprised many when he appeared on the long-running daytime soap opera General Hospital. Franco joined the cast in 2009 as Franco Baldwin, a role that spanned multiple appearances over two years.
The character was introduced as a multi-media artist with an obsession with death and chaos, quickly becoming a central antagonist on the show. Franco’s character was a sociopath who took a keen interest in Jason Morgan and orchestrated a series of disturbing events to get his attention.
The casting of Franco in a daytime television role was highly unusual and brought widespread attention to the show. In an interview with Michael Fairman dated July 1, 2010, Franco talked about the reason behind joining General Hospital,
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"When I went on General Hospital, a lot of people were surprised. So I thought, yeah, it would be very funny and surprising, but I also thought the more I talked about it, and the more I thought about it, I thought, ‘You know this would actually be a great opportunity to try something new and have a new experience, but also a way to hopefully get audiences to look at entertainment in a different way.’"
Franco Baldwin's major storylines on General Hospital
James Franco portrayed the character “Franco” on General Hospital, first appearing in November 2009. Franco was introduced as a mysterious and twisted multimedia artist obsessed with death, chaos, and Jason Morgan. His fascination began after witnessing Jason and his associates disposing of Claudia Zacchara’s body.
Franco recreated the scene and sent disturbing photos to Jason. Using the tag “CO77X,” Franco began leaving his mark around Port Charles, including at a planned mob hit, where he murdered Joey Limbo by stepping on his neck. Franco's behavior escalated with an art exhibit featuring staged crime scenes, organized by Maxie Jones.
He seduced Maxie and blindfolded her for photos in a chalk outline. He later confronted Jason, expressing admiration for his lethal skills and calling them artistic. His obsession turned deadly as he kidnapped Sam McCall and Carly Corinthos, later replacing Carly with Lulu Spencer in a deadly trap.
Franco faked his death multiple times, continued to stalk Jason, and manipulated events from the shadows. He also paid a prison inmate, Carter, to torment Michael Corinthos. Franco resurfaced in Los Angeles to showcase another dark art exhibit and was later revealed to have kidnapped Aiden Cassadine.
The child was eventually rescued without conflict. Throughout his appearances, Franco’s character blended psychological warfare and physical violence, making him one of the unpredictable and dangerous villains in General Hospital history.
In an interview with Vulture on January 20, 2010, Franco reminisced about the inception of his character,
“I said, ‘I want to play an artist, and I want him to be crazy.’ And they wrote this character that was better than I could have ever asked for. It was their idea to call the character Franco. I said, ‘That’s crazy. Thank you.’”
Who is James Franco?
James Franco is an American actor, filmmaker, writer, and visual artist. Born on April 19, 1978, in Palo Alto, California, he began his acting career in the late 1990s and gained early recognition for his role in the cult TV series Freaks and Geeks. He achieved mainstream success portraying Harry Osborn in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy.
He garnered critical acclaim for his performance as Aron Ralston in 127 Hours (2010), which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Franco has also appeared in a wide range of films, including Milk, Pineapple Express, The Disaster Artist, and Spring Breakers.
In addition to acting, he has pursued directing, writing, and teaching, and holds multiple academic degrees. Franco is known for his interest in experimental art and performance.
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