The announcement of James Franco 's casting on '' General Hospital '' was met by surprise . Some critics felt Franco 's appearance was a satire on the soap opera genre . '' Vulture '' writers Jada Yuan called it " bizarre but fascinating " , and Lane Brown stated " the answer was either a drinking problem or a maniacal desire to be written about on more blogs . " Michelle Kung of '' The Wall Street Journal '' wrote in 2009 : " Fans were puzzled . Had he lost a bet ? Was this an elaborate prank ? Was he a closet Luke and Laura junkie ? " Some critics expressed the role would be detrimental to Franco 's career . Others felt it was a smart move that would benefit Franco with publicity ; '' New York Magazine '' wrote : " Joining '' General Hospital '' , and acting like it 's just another gig , displays a ballsy disregard for conventional Hollywood wisdom , and adds a line to his résumé that has already generated more discussion than all the '' Spider-Man '' movies combined . For any ridicule Franco may get , he 's created twice as much intrigue . " Kung interviewed executive producer Phelps who explained : " We all had the same reaction of ' Really ? Are you kidding ? ' ( ... ) But we made the plane reservation and he showed up – and could not have been nicer or more humble ; he was willing to do whatever we asked . " The reception of Franco 's guest stints was mixed . Ratings from young woman viewers increased only five percent , the category that had been expected to rise the most . Roberta Smith of '' The New York Times '' stated : " Franco 's appearances earned him something of a cult following , although I ca n’t be alone in feeling that their irony is outdone by their lameness . " Other viewers positively received Franco 's character . '' The New Yorker '' magazine called their July 2010 article " Francophenia " one of the top ten highlights of 2010 . Willa Paskin of '' Vulture '' stated Franco was snubbed to not have been nominated at the 2010 Daytime Emmy Awards . Mickey O'Connor of '' TV Guide '' named Franco 's 2010 return " Best Weirdness " in his Top Moments column
2010 Daytime Emmy Awards
37th Daytime Emmy Awards
Franco (General Hospital)