NEW YORK—James Franco’s Golden Globe lost some of its lustre after several women went on Twitter and accused him of inappropriate behaviour.

Almost immediately after the actor scooped up a trophy for The Disaster Artist Sunday, on a night the industry spoke out against sexual harassment, Franco came under attack.

Actress Violet Paley claimed that the actor once sexually assaulted her and tried to lure her 17-year-old friend to his hotel room.

“Cute #TimesUp pin James Franco. Remember the time you pushed my head down in a car towards your exposed penis & that other time you told my friend to come to your hotel when she was 17? After you had already been caught doing that to a different 17 year old?” she wrote on Twitter.

Read more:

Golden Globes paint it black honouring #MeToo, Time’s Up movements

Golden Globes present opportunity for stars to make statement on sexual harassment

What happens in the wake of #MeToo? TV producers scramble to reflect reality of harassment

Paley, who clarified that she was an adult and not a teen at the time, added that she did have a consensual relationship with Franco, but that the alleged encounter she mentioned was against her will. Paley did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sarah Tither-Kaplan, who was once a student of Franco’s at his acting school, alleged that Franco exploited her by asking her to strip down on set for only $100 per day after she signed a “vague and general at best” contract.

“Remember a few weeks ago when you told me the full nudity you had me do in two of your movies for $100/day wasn’t exploitative because I signed a contract to do it? Times up on that!” she tweeted. “I 100 percent did not feel like I had a choice to say no.”

She also called out Franco for allegedly failing to give actresses speaking roles unless the part involved nudity.

Tither-Kaplan did not specify on which film set the nude scene occurred, but the two currently have a film titled The Long Home in post-production.

“If a famous actor who has the ability to make or break my career with the snap of his fingers offers me a part, I don’t have bargaining power. I need work. I need to eat. I need a career,” she tweeted.

Paley and Tither-Kaplan were not the only ones to hint at something more sinister beneath Franco’s Golden Globes grin.

During the show’s broadcast, The Breakfast Club actress Ally Sheedy shared a series of cryptic tweets naming the actor.

Sheedy, who starred in the Franco-directed off-Broadway play The Long Shrift in 2014, did not accuse Franco of anything, but took issue with his presence at the show.

“Why is a man hosting? Why is James Franco allowed in? Said too much,” Sheedy wrote in tweets that have since been deleted.

At the awards show, Franco was one of many stars who wore a pin in support of Time’s Up, an initiative launched by more than 300 women in Hollywood to fight sexual misconduct and give a voice to those without a platform.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Actresses used the red carpet and the stage of the 2018 Golden Globe Awards to amplify their fight against sexual harassment in Hollywood and beyond. (The New York Times)

Franco, 39, came under fire in 2014 after he attempted to pick up a 17-year-old girl over social media. The girl, who was visiting New York from Scotland at the time, met Franco outside his Broadway production of Of Mice and Men, and they began to exchange Instagram messages, which eventually leaked online.

Franco later defended himself during an interview on The Howard Stern Show after receiving considerable backlash.

“Seventeen is legal in New York, but that being said, it’s still pretty damn young,” Franco told the radio host. “They make it out like I’m pursuing young women. I’m not going to high schools looking for dates. I’m leaving my work and they’re coming there. So, I’m seeing attractive women.”

Franco also made headlines in 2014 when he shared a selfie, seemingly out of the blue, wearing nothing but his briefs, which were pulled down below his waist. His hand was covering his crotch in the suggestive photo.

Reps for Franco did not immediately return a request for comment.

Franco himself has not responded to any of the allegations, but said Sunday night backstage at the Golden Globes that it’s “everyone’s responsibility” to stand up against sexual harassment and make change in Hollywood.