After landing a role in 2007’s Superbad, Dave went on to act in Scrubs, 21 Jump Street, Warm Bodies and the Neighbors movies. And while he made small appearances in a few of James’ movies—including 2008’s Milk and 2011’s The Broken Tower— the two didn’t costar in a film until 2017’s The Disaster Artist, which also features their brother Tom Franco, Alison, and James’ former friend and collaborator Seth Rogen.
The reason for the wait?
“When I was first starting out, at every audition and meeting, they wanted to talk to me about my brother. And I understood that,” Dave explained to TIME in 2017. “But I didn’t want to be referred to as James Franco’s little brother for the rest of my life. So I made a conscious decision to carve my own path and separate myself from him in work.”
But “after a while it got to the point where I said, ‘F–k it. He’s my brother. I love him. I respect him. And we have similar sensibilities,'” he added. “And on top of that, it felt like the right project and the right dynamic between our characters. In the end it was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had on set.”
When James won the 2018 Golden Globe for this portrayal of Tommy Wiseau in the film, he gave a shout-out to Dave.
“When I went to NYU, I always said I wanted my own Coen brother—someone to collaborate with,” the 48-year-old said in his acceptance speech. “I realized this year I had my own Franco brother. I love him more than anything.”
