Dave Franco

Breaking the Family Mold

Dave Franco was born in Palo Alto in 1985. He grew up in a family where art was part of everyday life, but acting was never his first plan. Before acting, he wanted to be a high school teacher and write his own stories.

James Franco's shadow was long and heavy.

In 2006, he landed a small role on 7th Heaven. It marked the start of a stretch of forgettable supporting roles in teen series, where his looks dictated the script. But Dave wanted something else, and he began working on short films for Funny or Die.

In 2012, he played Eric Molson in the movie 21 Jump Street. That role as an eco-conscious high school drug dealer broke the industry's perception of him. It grossed 201 million dollars worldwide and took the actor out of the youth niche.

And the audience responded.

He appeared in Now You See Me in 2013, playing Jack Wilder. For the shoot, he learned real magic tricks and spent weeks practicing card throws. That technical dedication allowed him to film his own action scenes without relying on stunt doubles all the time.

Moving into Directing and Creative Control

In 2014, he appeared in Neighbors alongside Seth Rogen. Here he showed that his talent for physical comedy didn't depend on his last name. But Franco's real interest lay in total control of the narrative and in how tense atmospheres are built.

Horror was the answer.

In 2020, he released The Rental. It was his debut as a director and screenwriter (with Joe Swanberg). The film was shot on the Oregon coast on a tight budget, with a cast led by Dan Stevens and Alison Brie.

Critics praised its ability to build tension without relying on cheap jump scares. It hit number one at the American box office during its release on digital platforms and in select theaters, due to the global health restrictions of that year.

In 2017, he played Greg Sestero in The Disaster Artist. It was the first time he starred alongside his brother in a major project. The film recreated the making of The Room and won the Golden Shell at the San Sebastián International Film Festival.

But his career didn't stop at playing real-life figures. In 2022, he starred in Day Shift alongside Jamie Foxx. For this Netflix production, he had to tackle complex fight choreography, which required three months of physical training before filming began in Atlanta.

In 2023, he directed Somebody I Used to Know. It was a personal project in which he once again co-wrote the screenplay with Alison Brie. The film moved away from the horror of his debut and explored the romantic comedy from a more bitter and realistic perspective.

It worked.

In 2024, he appeared in Love Lies Bleeding under the direction of Rose Glass. In this thriller from the A24 studio, he played JJ, a dark and violent character far from his usual leading-man image. Filming took place mainly in New Mexico locations, with a production design that echoed the aesthetic of the 1980s.

The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2024. The estimated production budget was around 10 million dollars.