Actor James Franco showed off a little love for Spider-Man on Thursday with a hilarious picture.
The actor and director posted a dinnertime picture on Instagram, featuring a plate filled with food that looked absolutely delicious.
A major highlight of the Instagram pic, however, was what James Franco, 37, decided to wear before he started eating his dinner – a Spider-Man towel bib!
“Having dinner with my Spider-Man towel-bib”
James Franco skyrocketed to big-screen fame in Hollywood when he was chosen to play Harry Osborn in the 2002 Sam Raimi-directed film, Spider-Man .
Tobey Maguire may have starred in the titular role, but Franco definitely made a name for himself as the best friend-turned-worst enemy in the blockbuster franchise.
James returned to the franchise to play Harry Osborn again in Spider-Man 2 in 2004 and Spider-Man 3 in 2007.
Tbh. for me, no other Harry Osborn would be so hot than this one. James Franco is my best harry #spiderman pic.twitter.com/KkqHfEcLdR
— NOBILI (@okdoqte) May 27, 2014
SHOULDVE STAYED THAT WAY RT @SlLVERSCREENS : James Franco as Harry Osborn aka Green Goblin | Spider-Man (2002-2007) pic.twitter.com/upQzdtxHJC
— Johnny Tsunami (@BebesChuy) August 18, 2015
In the second film, with the assistance of Dr. Octopus, Harry Osborn discovered Spider-Man’s identity – Peter Parker. That transition allowed James Franco to dive into the darker side of the character – leading to his appearance as the New Goblin in the third film.
When the news of a Spider-Man reboot was first confirmed, many fans and critics of the Sam Raimi-directed trilogy were essentially on the fence about the decision.
In a June 2013 article for Vice , James Franco used the opportunity to discuss his own thoughts about the reboot – claiming that he was not “distressed” by the decision.
“I don’t have a huge emotional attachment to the Spider-Man franchise as a subject. “[My] biggest sentimental ties are to the people I worked with on those films: Sam, Toby [Maguire], Kirsten [Dunst], the late and great Laura Ziskin, and the hundreds of others who worked with us. I don’t really feel much distress over its being remade, for many reasons, but what is interesting to me is that it has been remade so quickly — and the reasons why.”
On the other hand, director Sam Raimi did admit that he experienced a major internal conflict when it came to watching the 2012 reboot film, The Amazing Spider-Man .
In an interview with Hey U Guys , Raimi stated that it was very hard for him to see it before he had an epiphany that allowed him to do so.
“I felt so attached to it, I couldn’t see Spider-Man with another director; it’s like my love, and I didn’t want to walk in on my love with someone else. It was just like that,” Raimi told the blog Hey U Guys. “Then I got over myself last week and said, ‘Just see the damn thing.’ And I did, and I loved it. I actually felt free. I thought, ‘Why am I carrying around this baggage?’ Of course the next Spider-Man story should be told, and [Marc Webb] did a wonderful job telling that. I loved the movie, and I’m looking forward like a fan to the next installment.”
With a second reboot currently in development, a third round of actors and actresses will undoubtedly be introduced as the iconic comic book roles that Spider-Man fans have loved for years.
However, James Franco can rest assured in knowing that he was the first one to make his mark as Harry Osborn on the big-screen. Seeing him with a Spider-Man towel bib is perhaps a great way for nostalgic fans to remember just that.
[Image Credit: Craig Barritt/Getty Images & James Franco Instagram]