One of the great things about James Franco is that you never really know what he's going to do next. Whether it's starring in feature film, recurring on a soap opera or getting roasted at Comedy Central, the actor seems up for just about anything. And that includes a guest spot in a network TV comedy, as Franco has signed on for a 2-episode arc in The Mindy Project.
The Fox comedy series stars Mindy Kaling as a gynecologist who's trying to juggle her chaotic personal life with her busy professional life. The series is set to return for its second season this fall, and when it does, James Franco will appear. Fox says Franco will appear in the Season 2 premiere on Tuesday, September 17 and then again in the second episode of the season, which airs Tuesday, September 24. With Mindy off on a volunteer mission in Haiti, Franco's character Dr. Paul Leotard steps in to fill her shoes. He's described as charismatic and popular. He's also a former professional fashion model who radically altered his career goals after accidentally walked off a runway at a fashion week and was saved by a pregnant woman. That sounds like a bizarre story and one we'll hopefully hear more about (or see in flashback, please!). Now Dr. Leotard is paying it forward, devoting himself to helping pregnant women.
I'm wondering if there will be any issues between Dr. Leotard and Mindy when she returns, especially considering he's mentioned as being popular. Perhaps she'll feel threatened by him if she comes back and find that her co-workers or her patients prefer him to her.
Franco's been keeping busy lately, with a host of projects in various stages of production including a voice role in The Little Prince and a part in Gia Coppola's Palo Alto. And of his previously or soon-to-be released films this year are Oz the Great and Powerful, This is the End and the upcoming Lovelace, in which he plays Hugh Hefner. And many of us remember him well for playing slacker Daniel Desario in Freaks and Geeks, a beloved but short-lived series in which he starred alongside Seth Rogen, with whom he's shared a number of credits since. We can now add The Mindy Project to that. Rogen appeared in the Fox comedy during its first season, playing the role of Sam in "The One that Got Away." Let's just hope Dr. Leotard doesn't fall out of any windows as Rogen's character did. Then again, considering his mentioned runway catastrophe, maybe another physical mishap will once again lead to inspiration.
