Meet Izabel Pakzad, James Franco’s girlfriend: the actress-director stood by her man through his 2018 sexual misconduct allegations – and The Disaster Artist actor says he’s ‘lucky’ to have her

Jan 14 , 2025

Meet Izabel Pakzad – the first girlfriend James Franco says he hasn’t cheated on. Photos: @franco.betsy, @izabelpakzad/Instagram

While Franco angles for a Hollywood comeback, Pakzad is stepping into the spotlight with her directorial debut, Find Your Friends, an upcoming indie thriller starring Bella Thorne and Sophia Ali

Disgraced Hollywood star James Franco, 46, and his long-time girlfriend Izabel Pakzad, 29, seem to be sticking by each other through thick and thin.

The couple, who have been dating since at least November 2017, have weathered sexual misconduct allegations against the actor in 2018 and his self-described sex addiction. Still going strong, the two have been back in the public eye since last year, following Franco’s extended absence from the spotlight. After attending Milan Fashion Week in January 2024, followed by the Cannes Film Festival in May, where they walked the red carpet together for the world premiere of Kinds of Kindness, the pair were photographed on a rare outing in Santa Monica, California in September. The Why Him? actor and his lady love were all smiles as they grabbed dinner at Giorgio Baldi, per Just Jared.

James Franco at the Governors Awards in November 2017, in Hollywood, California. Photo: AFP

Franco’s latest venture, the Italian drama film Hey Joe, premiered at the Rome Film Festival in October, while Pakzad’s directorial debut, Find Your Friends, wrapped production last April. The thriller, which Pakzad also wrote, delves into themes like toxic masculinity, and stars Helena Howard, Bella Thorne, Zión Moreno, Chloe Cherry and Sophia Ali. Calling it her “biggest dream come true”, the actress and filmmaker revealed on Instagram that the film was inspired by a real-life experience where, she said, “something crazy happened to me in the desert”.

So what else do we know about Izabel Pakzad, who, Franco admits, he is lucky to have found?

Izabel Pakzad’s background

Izabel Pakzad is a graduate of Penn State University and the University of Southern California. Photo: @izabelpakzad/Instagram

Pakzad was born in January 1996 in New York. Her Instagram bio suggests that she is of Iranian and Greek descent. After studying advertising and publicity at Penn State University, she pursued a master’s in integrated design, business and technology from the University of Southern California.

She’s a director, writer and actress

James Franco’s girlfriend Izabel Pakzad is an actress and filmmaker. Photo: @izabelpakzad/Instagram

Before directing her first feature film, Pakzad wrote, directed and starred in the short film Don’t Worry, It’s Gonna Be OK (2022), which served as a proof of concept. The film was invited to several film festivals, including the 2022 LA Film Festival, where it won Best Short. As an actress, Pakzad has starred in several shorts, and has taken on roles in the TV series The Deuce and Baker’s Dozen, as well as the superhero film Birds of Prey (2020).