Dave Franco Calls Having James Franco As A Brother A ‘Blessing And A Curse’

Fame has been a tricky ride for Dave Franco. After snagging a guest spot on “7th Heaven,” the actor landed a cameo in 2007's “Superbad,” his first feature film. Today, he has several movies lined up, including sophomore installments to “Neighbors” and “Now You See Me,” and the fall debut “Nerve,” but his schedule wasn’t always so full.

Ahead of accepting his breakthrough performer of the year award at CinemaCon’s 2016 Big Screen Achievement Awards in Las Vegas last week, Franco opened up about his rise to fame and his famous big brother, James Franco.

“It’s tough. It’s a blessing and a curse [having a sibling in the acting business],” the younger Franco said during an April 14 press conference attended by International Business Times. And while he used to let the comparisons to his older brother bother him, the 30-year-old said he’s no longer fazed. “I reached that point a long time ago. It’s just more of what the public thinks. I’ve noticed a slight shift in terms of people having giving me my own credibility, which is nice.”

Watch Franco in the “Now You See Me 2” trailer below:

Franco shared that he doesn’t take his sibling pulling a few strings to get him a manager when he first arrived in Hollywood for granted but that his family name didn’t earn him any roles. If anything, he says it put his earliest failures in a brighter spotlight.

“No one is going to cast me just because I’m James Franco’s little brother. I had to work my a-- off,” he said. “For most young actors, you go into a an audition, you fall on your face, you do a horrible job and the casting directors don’t remember you. But for me, it was like I was doing that same thing but everyone’s like mental note: James Franco’s little brother sucks. So, it was almost like a bigger hurdle to overcome in a way.”

Dave and James, 38, will team up for the first time on the big screen alongside their brother Tom Franco in "The Disaster Artist" — which James directed — later this year. The CinemaCon award-winner said it felt like the right time for them to team up. “I love and respect my brother so much, but for a long time I wanted to pave my own path and do my own thing. It finally felt like the right project at the right time for us to just collaborate and need to stop caring what people think. And if people think that I’m riding his coattails, then they can think that.”

As Franco continues his climb in Hollywood, he’s certain of one thing: there’s definitely enough room in Tinseltown for both Franco brothers. “At this point, people are going to think what they think,” he said. “I know that as similar as we are in certain ways, there’s certain projects that he can tackle and I can’t and vice versa.”