Like Marlon Brando and James Dean before him, Dave Franco has the look of a dark brooding hero. Dour and magnetic, he’s also the kind of guy who knows when to stop brooding, kick back and laugh.
In fact he’s hilarious - a new quality for a modern pin-up. So numerous are his self-effacing appearances on cult comedy video website Funny Or Die that Franco really stands apart.
His name too attracts attention as the younger brother of notoriously enigmatic actor/writer James Franco. Dave Franco however is confident enough to eschew his brother’s quirky films and performance art in favour of blockbusters with a brain like
21 Jump Street and
Warm Bodies.
This spring’s Now You See Me, a dark, thought-provoking heist movie in which Franco stars alongside Morgan Freeman and Mark Ruffalo will help cement his status. His own willingness to set himself up has already won us over.
He’s also successfully found a personal style position pitched somewhere (wonderful) between the playfulness of Justin Timberlake and the off-duty grit of Steve McQueen. Mastering off beat and goofy is no easy feat. Our summer movie schedule is already starting to look a lot more funny and interesting…