James Franco Returns to the Soaps, Gets His Artist On

On her song “Superhero,” Ani DiFranco sings, “Art may imitate life, but life imitates TV.”

Now, a different famous Franco is blurring the line between art, life and TV. In addition to roles in two of 2010’s most-anticipated (and diametrically opposite) films—opposite Julia Roberts in the adaptation of Eat, Pray, Love and as Beat poet Allen Ginsberg in Howl—actor James Franco is returning to daytime’s General Hospital and bringing the worlds of modern art and daytime television together at last.

According to an interview with TV Guide, Franco will return to the soap as his previous character named—what else!—Franco, a kinky, sociopathic performance artist obsessed with Port Charles mob assassin Jason Morgan.

Franco the artist, who “creates installations based on murder scenes featuring murders he possibly was involved with,” according to James Franco, will be getting his mark’s attention by staging a large-scale installation at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. In an interview with the L.A. Times, MOCA director Jeffrey Deitch said he is excited about the partnership between MOCA and the show, which will shoot an episode featuring Franco’s installation at the museum. Franco the actor, who has taken to visual art before (including a gallery showing at the Glü Gallery in L.A. in 2006), will also be making a documentary about the process of making the episode, which the MOCA will screen later this year.

Let’s hope Kimiko-tan is also making an appearance.

Got news tips for Paste? Email news@pastemagazine.com.