• Actors Anonymous

  • A Novel
  • By: James Franco
  • Narrated by: James Franco
  • Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
  • 3.0 out of 5 stars (169 ratings)

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Actors Anonymous  By  cover art

Actors Anonymous

By: James Franco
Narrated by: James Franco
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Publisher's summary

Nominated for a 2015 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album

The actors in James Franco's brilliant debut novel include a McDonald's drive-thru operator who spends his shift trying on accents; an ex-child star recalling a massive beachside bacchanal; hospital volunteers and Midwestern transplants; a vampire flick starlet who discovers a cryptic book written by a famous actor gone AWOL; and the ghost of River Phoenix. Then there's Franco himself, who prowls backstage, peering out between the lines—before taking the stage with fascinating meditations on his art, along with nightmarish tales of excess. "Hollywood has always been a private club," he writes. "I open the gates. I say welcome. I say, Look inside."

Told in a dizzying array of styles—from lyric essays and disarming testimonials to hilariously rambling text messages and ghostly footnotes—and loosely modeled on Alcoholics Anonymous's Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, Actors Anonymous is an intense, wild ride into the dark heart of celebrity.

©2013 James Franco (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“In Actors Anonymous, Franco performs an auto-celebrity roast that is at once mordantly funny, maddening and provocative...a kind of intellectual companion piece to his role in This is the End.” ( USA Today)
"Subversively funny and provocatively honest, is ostensibly about acting but it's really about a society where everyone's reduced to Actors Anonymous the roles they play. The novel's many narrators fight back against these roles in truly original, often hilarious, and deeply affecting ways. So should we all." (Gary Shteyngart)
“Compelling…entertaining and insightful…genuinely funny.” ( The Daily Beast)

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What listeners say about Actors Anonymous

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Yikes!!!

Would you try another book from James Franco and/or James Franco?

Of course. Even Shakespeare wrote a few clangers.

Has Actors Anonymous turned you off from other books in this genre?

Nope. There might be a gem in there somewhere, I just haven't encountered one yet.

Did James Franco do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Were there other characters? It was all too monodull altogether.

PS: In my opinion, James Franco is an excellent actor but it would take the Holy Spirit to bring this book to life.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

I respect James Franco for trying. He's very handsome.

Any additional comments?

Perhaps James Franco should take his audience more into account the next time he writes a book. Junky films are one thing - they're easy to watch and wash off, but junky books are another. They're not as forgivable. I don't like discovering that I have wasted time,effort, imagination, and understanding into worthless, self-absorbed crap that ultimately takes me for a fool. No, thank you.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Tnoroughly distasteful and self-absorbed

Would you try another book from James Franco and/or James Franco?

No I wouldn't read anything this self-absorbed and semi-educated author would decide to inflict on the public.

What was most disappointing about James Franco’s story?

Because of his biography, I expected a literate, informed story. This author is so self-absorbed and arrogant that I winced constantly. If these stories reflect his outlook on life, I would travel half-way around the world to avoid having to listen or read about him in the future.

Would you listen to another book narrated by James Franco?

No....

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

No

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Anonymous

Where does Actors Anonymous rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Really explores darker themes then I'm used to hearing, bold too.

Who was your favorite character and why?

James franco really spoke from the heart with emotion and charisma. I really respect him as an actor and a filmmaker

Have you listened to any of James Franco’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

this one was a first aside from his film

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

yes

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

I couldn't even finish.

What disappointed you about Actors Anonymous?

It was boring, actually. I thought it would be a fascinating insight into the mind of an actor or Hollywood, but it seemed so stereotpyical, almost like what non-actors imagine the industry to be like.The scene of raping a girl from the perspective of the rapist is super disturbing, and I can't help but wonder and feel icky at the question of whether it's autobiographical.

What could James Franco have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

If there was variety in the characters, true stories, and less misogyny and racism, I might have enjoyed it more.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

James Franco comes across as so arrogant in this writing, and his voice didn't help.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Straight out of the fantasy factory.

If you could sum up Actors Anonymous in three words, what would they be?

far out there.`

What other book might you compare Actors Anonymous to and why?

unlike any other and i think thats the point

What about James Franco’s performance did you like?

he was himself

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

haha the whole book is pretty out there.
it changed me for about a week

Any additional comments?

just look inside a normal life for a kid of his situation

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Confused and uneven

This book is a series of vignettes. I'd call them short stories but they don't have proper endings. Perhaps they come together at the end to provide a proper ending but I didn't get that far so I wouldn't know.

The vignettes star different folk, but are all told in the first person. The narration is good but its the author and it sound like he's telling us stories of his life which makes for a bit of confusion when suddenly he's a girl and all.

The first couple of stories flirt with edginess and then it turned into Gay porn. If the book was good I would have continued simply out of curiosity but it wasn't really good enough and started sounding like forced edginess at that point so I put it down (or deleted it).

James Franco has potential as a writer, no doubt, but it wasn't for me.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

A Little offisive!!!

Would you try another book from James Franco and/or James Franco?

I like most of James Franco's works, so yes I would try others.

Would you ever listen to anything by James Franco again?

I like his voice a lot so yes I would listen to his other books.

Was Actors Anonymous worth the listening time?

I liked this book for the most part. Some of the stories got offensive in some areas. I don't know if it was a personal opinion or just an observation, but some things where offensive as a female listener!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Whoa, Franco where you at?

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I'm not 100% sure yet. It was very hard to follow & keep up with all the stories going on.

If you’ve listened to books by James Franco before, how does this one compare?

This is my first, and may be the last if any others are soo hard to follow.

Have you listened to any of James Franco’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

His voice is great, and he is a good reader. He is good a verations in voice.

Did Actors Anonymous inspire you to do anything?

Re-listen to it, because i am sure i got lost along the way. I get his passion, I can feel it in his words. It has great quotes. However, it is how i imagine him to be in life, all over the damn place.

Any additional comments?

I love Franco he is funny, and a great Actor, his words are well written, but i think it may be easier to read the actual book, then to listen to it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Destined to he a classic!

Intelligent and witty. Filled with Profound expressions and insight. A thoughtful and honest reflection. Represents this generation well. One of the best books I have listened to on Audible.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

It sure is something.....

Personally I found the book to be a rollercoaster entertainment wise. It would have me interested then bored, then interested, then board etc etc.

The format of the book is strange, it does have a format but it's also a mess, and I there were a few times I was pretty confused regarding the consistency of the stories.

It could simply be the artistic direction the author wishes to take it in. Just a hunch, it's all James hidden in alter egos haha. Still I did find a lot I could relate to, inner darkness, inner truths, things we keep hidden. I don't judge.

I was hoping there would be more in regards to acting though since I am also on the same path, but I'll take it for what it is.

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