Judd praises Franco for response to sexual misconduct claims

Ashley Judd has praised James Franco for being accountable for his actions in the wake of sexual allegations that have surfaced against the actor.

The 49-year-old actor said it was "terrific" of "The Disaster Artist" star to take up responsibility of his actions.

"I think that what James said is terrific. And I think that we've all behaved, at a certain level, unconsciously, and done things that were insensitive, inappropriate, without necessarily understanding that they were.

"I mean, we've all operated with a certain amount of tone deafness, and I like the culpability, and we have to have restorative justice," Judd said on BBC's HARDtalk.
 

The actor, who was one of the first women to openly accuse disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment late last year, said it was important for both women and men to make efforts in building a more inclusive society.

"This is about men and women being all together and having a more equitable and just workplace, home life, social spaces. I mean, we know that when women are empowered in the workplace and are in decision-making positions that workplaces have better financial outcomes and there's less harassment when there is more diversity," she added.

Franco now stands accused of sexual misconduct by five women, which has overshadowed his recent Golden Globe and Critics Choice Awards wins.

The claims first surfaced when the actor won the Golden Globe for "The Disaster Artist", where like many other stars in Hollywood, he showed up wearing the 'Time's Up' pin.

In an appearance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert", Franco had denied the allegations, saying he is someone who always takes responsibility for his actions.

"In my life, I pride myself in taking responsibility for things that I've done... I can't live if there's restitution to be made. If I've done something wrong, I will fix it. I have to," the actor had told Colbert.