OFF BEAT: Professor says he was fired for giving James Franco bad grade

New York University student and Hollywood actor James Franco has landed his latest supporting role—not on the stage or screen, but in a New York courtroom.

Jose Angel Santana, a former NYU professor, reportedly is suing the school for being fired for giving Mr. Franco a bad grade.

Mr. Franco, who was pursuing a master’s degree in fine arts, received a “D” for missing 12 of 14 of Mr. Santana’s “Directing the Actor II” classes, according to news reports.

Mr. Santana is suing NYU in Manhattan Supreme Court, alleging that the school fired him for giving the actor the bad grade.

“The school has bent over backwards to create a Franco-friendly environment, that’s for sure,” Mr. Santana told the New York Post. “The university has done everything in its power to curry favor with James Franco.”

While Mr. Franco did not provide immediate comment, he told Showbiz411.com, “I did the work. I did well in everything else,” in an interview last year.

Mr. Santana alleges the good grades that Mr. Franco received were because he hired one of his other NYU professors to write and direct a film.

“In my opinion, they’ve turned the NYU graduate film degree into swag for James Franco’s purposes, a possession, something you can buy,” Mr. Santana, who is suing NYU to get his job back, told the New York Post.