McDonald’s might have finally found a celebrity spokesperson. James Franco of all people has come forward to support the fast food giant, which has struggled in recent months thanks to decreased sales.
Franco wrote an essay for the Washington Post, recalling his days as an employee at a McDonald’s in Los Angeles. He had to support himself after dropping out of college and, since he was also trying to go to a cheap acting school, he needed a job.
“All I know is that when I needed McDonald’s, McDonald’s was there for me. When no one else was,” Franco wrote.
He wrote that he started off as a late shift drive-thru cashier and would test fake accents when talking to customers to practice for acting school. A casting director for NYPD Blue was even impressed by his British accent. (He lost the job when the casting director found out it was fake.)
Franco admitted to dumping salt on fries because he liked them salty and he often took cheeseburgers, which ended his experiment with being a vegetarian.
While Franco admits that he doesn’t exactly like McDonald’s food, especially after reading Fast Food Nation, he stressed that the job was important to him. It helped him get through the difficult start to his career.
“I was treated fairly well at McDonald’s. If anything, they cut me slack. And, just like their food, the job was more available there than anywhere else,” Franco wrote. “When I was hungry for work, they fed the need. I still love the simplicity of the McDonald’s hamburger and its salty fries. After reading Fast Food Nation, it’s hard for me to trust the grade of the meat. But maybe once a year, while on a road trip or out in the middle of nowhere for a movie, I’ll stop by a McDonald’s and get a simple cheeseburger: light, and airy, and satisfying.”
Maybe if McDonald’s needs a new actor for the Hamburglar, they can call Franco up.
image courtesy of Kristin Callahan/ACE/INFphoto.com