Dave Franco: From Being James Franco's Little Brother to '21 Jump Street'

Dave Franco, aka James Franco's little brother, is about to make a big splash in Hollywood, thanks to 21 Jump Street, the big screen adaptation of the popular Johnny Depp TV show, out Friday.

In 21 Jump Street, Franco, 26, plays a high school drug dealer opposite Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill. And much like the film itself, Franco has been receiving strong reviews for his supporting role.

Dave Franco makes an impression, according to The Wrap, while The Hollywood Reporter claims that Franco does well as the school's gregarious drug dealer.

Unlike James, the younger Franco isn't hitting the books in the big league or prepping for art shows at the MOCA in Los Angeles. He's also not appearing on General Hospital, anytime soon, a gig that his mom, author Betsy Franco, and James took on nearly two years ago.

But Dave Franco is familiar with the association and has not been shy about addressing the similarities (looks aside) between himself and his older, perhaps more famous brother. With the release of 21 Jump Street and two more feature films on the horizon, little Franco seems ready to make a name for himself.

I'm doing my best do distance myself from him, Franco recently told The Huffington Post of his connection to James.

He helped me get a manager, which I don't take for granted. It's tough to get representation, let alone really good representation that cares about you. But from there on out, no one is going to hire me just because I'm James Franco's little brother, he added.

Franco is not entirely new to the scene. The California native has a few big films under his belt (playing small roles), but his big break came in 2009, when he was hired to play the cocky and flirtatious medical student Dr. Cole in Scrubs.

Without Zach Braff and Donald Faison, Scrubs wouldn't have lasted eight seasons. And it's safe to say, without the comedic talent of Franco (click here to watch his best moments), the new class and cast of Scrubs wouldn't have extended the show by one more season. (Inevitably, the show was axed for good due to low ratings).

Yeah that was tough. The whole season was kind of an experiment . . . everyone kind of went into it wanting to hate it, so it was an uphill battle and I think people slowly started to recognize that there was still something funny and promising there, Franco told The Huffington Post.

Franco is also a frequent friend of the folks at Funny or Die, thanks to a handful of hilarious (and some may say, over-the-top) videos. One popular sketch involves a dirty talk competition with Christopher Mintz-Plasse (of Superbad fame), while another finds Franco falling in love with himself.

Need more? Franco is also one of three cover boys representing GQ's Style Bible in the magazine's latest issue. The only question is, was Dave Franco wearing Gucci?

21 Jump Street opens in theaters on Friday.