James Franco apparently tried to hook up with a 17-year-old fan via Instagram. According to reports, Lucy Clode was in New York City for an early 18th birthday present when she met Franco during an autograph signing after his Broadway show, "Of Mice and Men."
Clode, who is from Scotland, videotaped the star as he signed autographs and posted the video on Instagram. At the end of the video, Franco points to Clode's camera and tells her to tag him in it. She did and reportedly that's when the two started flirting over the social networking site, E! News reports.
The 35-year-old actor asks the teen via Instagram if she is from New York City. When Clode tells him she's from "a small town called Dollar" in Scotland, Franco asks how long she will be in the Big Apple. At one point, Clode explains that she will only be in town for a few days because she's celebrating her 18th birthday.
"You're 18?... Who are you with?... Do you have a bf?" Franco responds.
The girl told the actor that she's almost 18 (her birthday is in May) and she doesn't have a boyfriend "if you're around."
The two then start talking via text messaging after he asks Clode for her phone number. According to E!, Franco then asked the Scottish teen if they could meet up. Check out the transcript below:
Clode: As long as you are james Franco
Franco: I am
Franco: You're single?
Franco: What's the hotel?
Franco: Should I rent a room?
Clode: April fools was an hour ago though...
Franco then sends Clode a selfie and continued to see if they could link up.
Clode: I'll come back when I'm 18
Franco: X
Clode: Well this is a story my Scottish friends won't believe
Franco: Don't tell
Clode: I just want proper evidence that it's you and I won't
Franco: I gave it to you
Franco: If you don't want to meet, then text me when you do.
Franco: Bye
Clode: You sound so dodgy though
She then asks the actor to send her another picture of him holding a piece of paper with her name written on it, which he does.
According to the leaked messages, the two never met up but Clode leaked the evidence online on Wednesday, Apr. 2. According to Heavy.com, she tweeted that "rejecting james franco has to be the hardest thing I've ever done." Her Twitter page is now private.
The "Spring Breakers" actor responded to the scandal with a little humor. He Instagrammed (and then deleted) a meme that read, "Why are you thirsty for underage ones." He captioned the photo, "I'M NOT! I HOPE PARENTS KEEP THEIR TEENS AWAY FROM ME. Thank you."
