James Franco Returns to Cannes with New Girlfriend

joined the star-studded crowd at the 2026 in on Tuesday, seven years after his Hollywood career was derailed following sexual misconduct allegations.

The actor, 48, was joined by his younger girlfriend Izabel Pakzad, 30, on the red carpet for the opening night screening of The Electric Kiss. 

The Spider-Man star wore a classic black suit paired with a bowtie and black sunglasses.

Meanwhile his girlfriend cut a stylish figure in a long silk black dress with a leg slit. She accessorized with a chunky necklace and a silver Spinelli Kilcollin ring. 

The former USC professor and the actress - who starred in the third season of Franco's series The Deuce - have been dating since 2017. 

It marked Franco's third consecutive year at the famed festival, following his back-to-back appearances in 2024 and 2025. He also previously attended in 2013 and 2015. 

Franco took selfies with fans and was spotted chatting with Diego Luna before the screening, according to Variety.

'It's such a powerful drug,' he explained. 'I got hooked on it for 20 more years. The insidious part of that is that I stayed sober from alcohol all that time.'

'And I went to meetings all that time. I even tried to sponsor other people. So in my head, it was like, "Oh, I'm sober. I'm living a spiritual life," where on the side, I'm acting out now in all these other ways, and I couldn't see it.' 

The scandal also cost him his friendship with Pineapple Express co-star Seth Rogen, who publicly cut him off following the allegations. 

Having previously played leading roles in the likes of Spider-Man, Pineapple Express and 127 Hours, Franco was once a regular at parties alike.

In 2024, Franco said he was a changed man, stating that the scandal caused him to reconsider his priorities.

'Being told you’re bad is painful,' he told Variety in an extensive interview. 'But ultimately, that’s kind of what I needed to just stop going the way I was going.'

'Whatever had been going on with me before, I had to change my whole way of life.' he contended. 

'So I am proud of the kind of work I did during that time. And yeah, I wasn’t working in movies, but I certainly was doing a lot of work to change who I was.'

'I don’t want it to sound like platitudes, but honestly, this is my experience. Sometimes life delivers things to you, and the delivery system is so painful. It really hurts,' the 127 Hours star admitted.

'But ultimately, from the big picture that I’m talking about, maybe it’s for the best. Who am I to say?' 

The embattled star has since tried to repair his career, laying low while continuing to take on minor roles.

He most recently starred in the 2025 thriller Bunny-Man directed by Alessandra Starr Ward.

He is also set to play former Cuban President Fidel Castro in Miguel Bardem's upcoming biopic Castro's Daughter, which is currently in post-production.