James Franco: 'If It Is The Worst Oscar Show Ever, Who Cares?'

James Franco may be front and center on February 27th, but he's not letting it get to him. In an interview with Vanity Fair's The Screening Room, Franco reveals that he won't be too bent out of shape if the whole evening goes up in flames.

"I said, 'Look, they know we're not Billy Crystal or Chris Rock,'" Franco said, recounting an early conversation with co-host Anne Hathaway, "'They're not asking us because they're expecting that. The show is going to be designed for what we can do.' And you know what? If it is the worst Oscar show ever, who cares? It's almost like...it's fine! It's one night, so it doesn't matter."

The Oscars are Hollywood's big night, but have fallen on hard times in the past decade. Until they increased the number of nominees from five to ten, best picture nominees have been films far removed from the public spotlight, and only occasionally of strong interest to cinephiles. The ceremony itself has become increasingly elaborate in a yearly attempt to shake things up while still maintaining an air of self-importance.

The show has become either predictable - in the Internet age, winners are typically telegraphed far in advance because we've all heard about guild awards and critics' choices - or boring (see last year, when a nation wondered "what on Earth is "The Hurt Locker"?).

Suddenly, the show can't fall back on mere tension to drive it forward. A strong host goes a long way towards making the night a success or a failure, and a relaxed, carefree attitude has helped hosts like Jon Stewart and Ellen DeGeneres deliver.

"It's just like a movie," Franco went on to say, "By the time a movie comes out, my work has been mediated through so many different people. I have some control over it, but if the movie comes out horrible it's only partially my fault. It's the same thing with the Oscars - yeah, we're the hosts, but they've been working on this thing for six months, so I hope they've been putting in good work."

Good, bad, or indifferent, The Academy Awards will air Sunday, February 27th at 8pm EST, 5pm PST on ABC.

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