(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY LAUREN ZIMA

Guess he should have brought this teacher an apple. A former New York University professor is suing the school, and James Franco is in the middle of it. Here’s KHOU.

“One professor at NYU, where Franco previously attended, is actually suing the university for firing him. He says he lost his job for giving the actor a D.”

Franco was at the school for a master’s in filmmaking. Inside Edition has the details of what exactly the professor says Franco did wrong, and the actor’s response.

“Franco persistently played hooky here at New York University, and actually missed 12 out of 14 classes. ... Franco acknowledged missing a number of classes in this interview with the website Showbiz411.com. He was busy making 127 Hours, for which he was nominated for an Oscar.
FRANCO: “I did all my work and I finished the film that was required that year, but I didn’t show up for class.”

TMZ spoke with the professor, Dr. Jose Santana, who was the head of the acting program. He says NYU considered Franco to be veritable “swag,” and basically let the Oscar nominee buy a degree.

SANTANA: “Numerous conflicts of interest in the department transpired relative to James Franco. ... I saw what every other student did during that time, and I saw what this celebrity student did at that time. There was no comparison.”

Santana also pointed out Franco hired another NYU professor who gave him a good grade to direct him in a short film. But he emphasizes that his problem isn’t with Franco personally, but with how the school handled Franco as a student. So, where does NYU stand? CBS has its statement.

“ ... it is regrettable and disappointing to see a faculty member -- former or otherwise -- discuss any student's grade for the purpose of personal publicity.”

While attending NYU, Franco was also enrolled at three other universities, filming movies like Planet of the Apes, guest-starring on General Hospital and putting up art shows famously filled with drawings and sculptures of male genitalia. A writer for iVillage says Franco’s celebrity status shouldn’t have translated to a high GPA.

“....it’s no wonder that his attendance was spotty. … If Franco missed that many days on a movie set, he’d be fired in a heartbeat. It doesn't seem fair to the other students that he's allowed to blow off college classes whenever he has a scheduling conflict.”

But the university stands behind Franco, and it looks like this will all have to play out in court. Santana says he wants his job at NYU back, but the school doesn’t seem to be interested. And, in fact -- it hired Franco. The 33-year-old actor taught a course on adapting poetry into film this fall.