Sound, Fury as James Franco Visits Campus

James Franco, the actor and director known for roles in the Spider-Man trilogy and the TV show Freaks and Geeks, visited campus Monday. Along with 40 or 50 cast and crew members, Franco filmed key scenes from The Sound and Fury, an adaptation of William Faulkner's 1929 novel in which Franco directs and stars.Franco spent most of the day near the Washington Road bridge to film a scene in which a central character commits suicide by jumping into a river. But just before 6 P.M. filming relocated to the area near 1903 and Feinberg Halls. A crowd of students whispered and watched as a young actor led a little girl down the diagonal walking path and extras passed by in the background. After the shot was taken, Franco, in a hat and sunglasses, yelled, "That's a wrap!"Students hesitantly walked towards Franco, hoping for a picture; one of Franco's colleagues whispered, "Are you ready to say no?""I'll give them a group picture," Franco answered. Students, hearing this, rushed him from all sides, put on unbearably excited smiles, and shifted their eyes nervously from camera to camera. Some brave students tried getting selfies with Franco, and he didn't mind; he's apparently quite fond of the selfie.After the pictures, Franco stepped back and bellowed the obligatory "Go Yale!" (He's a Yale Ph.D. candidate.) Students began screaming and some even pushed Franco down. He freed himself from the crowd and ran away, unable to deal with the sound and fury of Princeton students.