By Lisa Richwine

LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – Oscar nominated actor James Franco admits to having slept with students from an acting school he once ran. Franco said he was struggling with a sex addict and is working hard to correct his behaviour in the recent years.

Franco (43), stated that he had slept with students while teaching. These excerpts were made public by The Jess Cagle Podcast on Wednesday. Franco said that he didn’t start the school in order to attract women for sexual purposes.

In the SiriusXM podcast, he said, “I think at the time I thought it was consensual. Okay.” “At the moment, I wasn’t clearheaded.”

Franco made these remarks in response to accusations that were levelled against him almost four years ago, when five women accused Franco of inappropriate conduct.

Two women sued the “Pineapple Express star” in a civil lawsuit. They accused him of exploiting young actors at his school, and luring them into shooting explicit scenes.

Franco claimed that his sex addiction developed after he was sober. He said, “It is such a powerful drug.” It was addictive for twenty more years. That is because I was sober and stayed clean from alcohol.

Franco was the Oscars host in 2011. He also received nominations for 2012 Oscars Awards for his performance “127 Hours.”

According to Los Angeles Superior Court records, this actor paid $2.2million to settle the 2019 civil lawsuit.

Franco stated in the podcast interview that he was also recovering from sex abuse since 2016. He said that “a lot” of his work has helped him to overcome the allegations and “shift who I was.”

“I wasn’t trying to hurt anyone,” he stated.