A group of UCLA students are protesting the selection of ’08 alum James Franco, star of Milk and Pineapple Express, as their commencement speaker. Senior Erin Moore, who is attempting to drum up support on Facebook, told EW’s Hollywood Insider blog that she believes the university should have chosen a keynote speaker who’s accomplished more than juggling classes and a movie career, which she finds commendable but not particularly inspirational. Her argument isn’t completely without merit. She sees Franco as a peer, which is how he wanted to be viewed during his stint at UCLA. (He earned a degree in English, with a concentration in creative writing.) You could argue that the ones Franco should be addressing are high school students, who might benefit from hearing a story about someone who valued education enough to return to school — but didn’t have to give up his passion, acting. Then again, isn’t multi-tasking something new professionals could use advice on? Hasn’t 30-year-old Franco navigated his way through a difficult industry, shown range that was perhaps unexpected of him, and lived more life experiences than most 21-year-olds?
Of course, the selection committee (which did include students) no doubt picked Franco because they thought he’d be entertaining. That isn’t a new concept. Personally, I’d be psyched to have someone who, if he’s smart, might bring along a new Judd Apatow video (perhaps addressing this protest?). I can’t remember who spoke at my graduation 12 years ago. I just remember that he was an older gentleman who said something culturally insensitive that had all the anthropology majors staring at each other in disbelief. (I also remember getting a congratulatory peck on the cheek from my hot art history professor because he’d read in the program that I was graduating summa cum laude. I felt a little guilty when final grades came in and I dropped to magna.)
What’s your stance? Vote in our poll below.
At my University graduation, Burton Cummings was given an honorary doctorate and spoke at our ceremony. It was awful. He went on and on about how he dropped out of school when he was 16 and just made music, and made us all feel like saps for spending the past four years working to get an education. It’s pretty annoying to see someone get a doctorate because they made it big – give them grammys, but give the degrees to those that have earned them the old fashioned way!
As long as he doesn’t take his shirt off. That would just be too distracting… right Mandi?
I say yes, but only if he speaks as Saul from Pineapple Express.
My commencement speaker (at Yale) kept calling us the Class of 2000. I graduated in 2005. The kids at UCLA should stop whining and be happy they got someone whose name they know and who probably knows what year it is.
Franco is a great choice for a school with a strong focus on show business like UCLA. And he’s not just an actor; he’s also a published author and screenwriter who’s working on multipul grad degrees. He might not be a great commencement speaker for MIT or Princeton, but for UCLA, he’s just right.
I have been to lots of graduations, including my own, and all the speakers were bad, bad, bad. I didn’t take away anything from their speeches, so I would definitely have welcomed a speech from a peer THAT WAS ENTERTAINING.
leave the guy alone! let him speak.
Franco is not established enough to be a key speaker at a huge event such as the graduation ceramony of UCLA.
He is successful but definately not inspirational. He’s done a couple of movies and finished college…. ….yeah …..but that’s it. UCLA should pick someone who is more accomplished and personifies that to its graduates.
I would love James Franco to be commencement speaker. I have chosen to not even attend my own, because the ceremony is not something that is terribly exciting or interesting, and the only memories i expect to come away with are the heat and being surrounded by strangers.
I’m surprised that anyone cares this much. Show up, go collect your diploma, and get hammered with your friends afterward. 10 years later, I couldn’t even tell you who the keynote speaker was when I graduated from UF. These kids need to worry a little more about getting a job after college and less about who is giving the inconsequential speech at graduation.
I don’t know, my graduation speaker was Sherry Lansing, who was then the CEO of Paramount, and she brushed her hair on stage while the president of my school was speaking. It was such a turn-off for me that I didn’t pay attention to a word she said when she got up to speak.
I think as long as he behaves respectfully and has something good to say to the students, let him have at it.
Franco could speak about two hot button issues in society: pot and gay rights (which, coincidentally, he was in movies about those topics, and they were both amazing, albeit very different?). Plus, in my school hallway we have a poster of him with his math teacher, and that makes me excited to go to math every day. I’m sure he’d be awesome and inappropriate and poignant all in one speech. Give the kid a chance!
Our commencement speakers were George H.W. Bush & Bill Clinton. So…yeah. Then my boyfriend’s class had Brian Williams (or the giant head thereof). And this year’s class has Ellen Degeneres. I expect Brad Pitt will speak at one soon.
My school (Arizona State University) is having Barack Obama speak at its commencement. Too bad I’m not graduating this year…
James Franco is a talented actor who could add interesting life experience to the commencement. I would have loved to hear him at my graduation.