James Franco And I

C. 23  10/1/09

I discovered over the past few days was that the famous actor, James Franco and I are long-lost family friends.

 

Let me explain…

It turns out that James Franco is half Jewish, although maybe not raised that way. His grandmother on his mother’s side is from Cleveland, Ohio; the same place that both sides of my family are from.

When questioned about James Franco’s grandmother, Mitsy Vern, my mom’s mom said she knew of her. My grandmother told me that she was an arts collector, specifically of African art and masks. The interest in African Art led me to my grandparents on my dad’s side of the family. My dad’s parents are/were very into art, especially from countries like Africa. After a little family research, I discovered that James Franco’s grandmother and my grandmother (my Dad’s “real” mother, before she died of cancer at a young age) were good friends.

So my dad’s mother, Ruth was really good friends with Mitsy. They were buddies in their painting class. I found it exciting to learn that both James Franco and my grandmothers were painters, because both James Franco and I are painters. Actually, Franco has been painting long before he got his career in acting. If my real grandmother hadn’t died so early, then maybe James Franco’s family would have stayed in touch with my family. And then, who knows, maybe I would not only then know James Franco but we could be friends. Shared family friends and shared interest in the visual and theater arts.