‘The Deuce’ Star James Franco Dating USC Student Isabel Pakzad

James Franco has new girlfriend!

A source confirmed to Us Weekly that “The Deuce” star is dating Isabel Pakzad, a former television publicist who is currently studying communications and journalism at the University of Southern California. Pakzad is from Tenafly, New Jersey, and previously attended Pennsylvania State University.

Franco and Pakzad have recently been spotted in public together. On Thursday, the 39-year-old actor was accompanied by his new girl to the IndieWire Honors event in West Hollywood, where she was seen chatting with Franco’s brother Dave Franco.

“Isabel hugged Dave and hung out with him for a while and they seemed chummy, very close,” an eyewitness told the news outlet. “[When James received his award] Isabel got a huge smile on her face. She cocked her head to get a better viewpoint and applauded a lot during his speech and giggled at his jokes. She had a huge grin on her face and seemed absolutely smitten with him.”

On Friday, Franco and his 24-year-old girlfriend were also spotted having lunch with friends at Jon and Vinny’s in Los Angeles. “They were sitting pretty close to each other and they seemed really happy,” an insider told the news outlet.

Franco previously dated actresses Marla Sokoloff and Ahna O’Reilly. According to Zimbio, Franco was in a relationship with Sokoloff from 1999 to 2004. The two began dating while they were working on the 2000 teen comedy film “Whatever It Takes.” Sokoloff is now married to Deadsy drummer Alec Puro, with whom she shares two daughters.

Franco, meanwhile, dated O’Reilly for nearly five years. They split in July 2011. In an interview for Playboy magazine’s August 2011 issue, Franco admitted that his interest in education got between them.

The first season of Franco’s latest TV project “The Deuce” just ended last week. The Oscar-nominated actor will be next seen in the upcoming comedy drama film “Zeroville,” which he also directed. Aside from him, the movie also stars Seth Rogen, Jacki Weaver, Megan Fox, Will Ferrell and Danny McBride, among many others.

The biographical film “Bukowski,” which Franco also directed and star in, is also set to open in theaters sometime this year.