When HBO first announced that David Simon, the man responsible for “The Wire,” was teaming up with an all-star cast, led by Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Franco, for a period series about the porn industry, TV fans were very excited. However, after a critically-acclaimed first season, a dark cloud hung over the series moving forward, as allegations of misconduct were made against Franco, putting the entire future of the series in jeopardy. But according to a new interview with Rolling Stone, now that the series’ concluded after the just-ended third season, Simon opens up about why “The Deuce” kept on going in light of Franco’s alleged transgressions.
Speaking frankly, after only releasing a statement about the issue prior, Simon was open and honest about why there were specific story issues that prevented “The Deuce” from moving on without Franco. And in addition, the series creator wasn’t sure the right thing to do was to fire the troubled actor.
“But George [Pelecanos] and I understood that [‘The Deuce’] is not simply about women enduring or being actualized by sex work,” explained Simon. “That it is also deeply engaged with addressing the male gaze and what men bring to this equation — which has now become this paradigm of American pornography and sexual commodification.”
He continued, “If you look at the piece as a whole, the idea that you could achieve this without the work James brought, as Frankie, but especially as Vincent — when you get to the end and you see what’s being said about male complicity in this entire paradigm — that’s a ridiculous premise.”
READ MORE: ‘The Deuce’ Final Season Trailer: HBO’s Acclaimed Drama Is Back for One Last Round
However, according to Simon, it’s not just a plot-specific reason why Franco had to be part of the series moving forward, even in light of his #MeToo allegations. The series creator says that there’s something fundamentally different about the accusations faced by Franco versus the big names like Harvey Weinstein and Les Moonves. And it’s this distinction that makes Simon feel perfectly fine with the decision made by HBO and the series’ staff.
“The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone,” said Simon. “There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm.”
Simon went on to describe how there was only one allegation faced by Franco that involved sex, while the others were about abuses of power while on set, with putting actresses in uncomfortable situations. However, “The Deuce” creator says that the reason HBO and everyone decided to move forward with Franco is because of how different his case is from men who have sexually assaulted women.
“That was left for the cast and crew of our show, and for Blown Deadline, and for HBO, to address, and to figure out what is this and what is it not,” he said. “And again, I’m intensely proud of how seriously we took that responsibility, and how we proceeded not only to do what we think was right for the show and all the people involved in the show but for James, as well.”
“The Deuce” recently ended its run on HBO, with all episodes now available to stream at your leisure.
