SALON

Friday, Feb 8, 2013 3:56 PM UTC

Laconic James Franco to serve as “enthusiastic” Daytona grand-marshal

The bored-seeming actor will declare "Drivers start your engines!" at the famous speedway.

By

Topics: James Franco, oz the great and powerful, celebrities,

Laconic James Franco to serve as (Credit: AP/Peter Kramer)

James Franco is about to star in his first big-budget movie since 2011, “Oz the Great and Powerful.” And in order to promote the expensive Disney fantasy about a Wizard of Oz, he’s going to end up in some unfamiliar places.

He’s set to appear as the grand marshal of the Daytona 500 later in the month; his last big live appearance, you may recall, ended poorly, with Franco criticized for his utter lack of energy or interest in his Oscar-hosting gig.

If James Franco wants to continue being a very famous actor (and though “Oz” was greenlighted years ago, and his feelings may have changed, the sort of tiny-scale documentaries Franco likes to make depend upon and refer to his fame), he’ll have to do embarrassing things like host the Oscars and appear at car racing events and get interviewed by E! and all the rest. The degree to which he’s allowed to be “too cool” erodes when a multimillion-dollar-movie rests on his shoulders — and making tiny independent films because it’s the only thing he can book, rather than as a break from big-budget fare, is much less fun.

In a press release, Daytona International Speedway’s president says, “We’re looking forward to hearing James’ enthusiastic starting command to kick off the Daytona 500.” It sounds like a warning — be enthusiastic or else.

Daniel D'Addario is a staff reporter for Salon's entertainment section. Follow him on Twitter @DPD_ More Daniel D'Addario.

Next Article

Related Stories

More Related Stories

Featured Slide Shows

The week in 10 pics

close X
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11
  • Lisa Montgomery embraces her nephew Thursday after a tornado tore apart her home in Cleburne, Texas. The twister killed six people and destroyed entire swaths of the North Texas town.
    Credit: AP/LM Otero

  • Jack McMahon, the defense attorney for abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell, speaks outside the Criminal Justice Center in Philadelphia Tuesday. His client was convicted of killing three babies in his clinic, and will serve multiple life sentences.
    Credit: AP/Matt Rourke

  • A photo taken Monday captures Vice President Joe Biden's response to a Milwaukee second-grader's innovative proposal to end America's epidemic of gun violence. This guy!
    Credit: AP/Jenny Aicher

  • Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., flanked by a grouper-eyed Michele Bachmann, addresses the IRS' admission that it targeted Tea Party groups in advance of the 2012 election. In an op-ed for CNN Thursday, the Kentucky senator slammed the president for his faux outrage.
    Credit: AP/Molly Riley

  • Ousted IRS chief Steven Miller is sworn in on Capitol Hill Friday. Miller testified before the House Ways and Means Committee on the extra scrutiny the agency gave conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status.
    Credit: AP/J. Scott Applewhite

  • Attorney General Eric Holder pauses as he testifies on Capitol Hill before the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday. Holder is under fire, among other things, for the Justice Department's gathering of phone records at the Associated Press.
    Credit: AP/Carolyn Kaster

  • O.J. Simpson sits during an evidentiary hearing at Clark County District Court in Las Vegas, Nev., Thursday. Simpson, who is currently serving a nine-to-33-year sentence in state prison for armed robbery and kidnapping, is using a writ of habeas corpus to seek a new trial.
    Credit: AP/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Jeff Scheid

  • Major Tom to ground control: On Sunday astronaut Chris Hadfield recorded the first music video from space, a cover of David Bowie's "Space Oddity."
    Credit: AP/NASA/Chris Hadfield

  • When it rains it pours. President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference Thursday with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, inexplicably inspiring an #umbrellagate Twitter meme.
    Credit: AP/Jacquelyn Martin

  • A smoke plume rises high above a road block at the intersection of County A and Ross Road east of Solon Springs, Wis., Tuesday. No injuries were reported, but the the wildfire caused evacuations across northwestern Wisconsin.
    Credit: AP/The Duluth News-Tribune/Clint Austin

  • Recent Slide Shows

  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11

Related Videos

Comments

 1 Comments

Comment Preview

Your name will appear as username

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href=""> <b> <em> <strong> <i> <blockquote>

follow salon

Most Read

Popular on Reddit

links from salon.com

From Around the Web

Presented by Scribol
listener_new_rect The Listener: So long, Sookie Stackhouse

Recommendations