James Franco on Instagram flirting with 17-year-old Lucy Clode: I was a gentleman

OHMYGOSSIP — James Franco (36) has addressed the recent controversy surrounding his alleged flirting with a 17-year-old fan online. The Hollywood actor was recently reported to have initiated a meet-up with Scottish student Lucy Clode, whom he met at his Broadway show Of Mice and Men.

Speaking to Howard Stern, Franco insisted that he was behaving like a “gentleman” when talking to Clode. He said: “Here’s the thing, the way that the news wants to do it, because the way flashy headlines [are], they make it like, I’m perusing young women.

“I’m not going to high schools looking for dates. I’m leaving my work and they’re coming there. I’m seeing attractive women. And look, my fan base is like, you know, 17-year-old to 30-year-old women – that’s my biggest fan base.”

He continued: “I was a gentleman, I said, ‘Do you have a boyfriend?,’ and her response was, ‘Not when you’re around’. So that to me sounds like, OK, she’s interested.”

Explaining the student’s actions, he said: “Here’s what I’ll say in her defence — I don’t think she posted it knowing what was gonna happen. I was like anybody, just trying to meet somebody. It’s just that my dirty s**t gets put out internationally.”