Franco Casts His Sal Mineo
Do we need reminding? James Franco is gayer than you or me or any of your gay friends. At least in his choice of movie material. Latest example: Franco has written the screenplay and will direct a Sal Mineo biopic, and has just cast Val Lauren (right) as the lead. You don’t know who Sal Mineo is? Mineo, who was nominated for a best supporting actor Oscar twice — in 1955 for “Rebel without a Cause” and in 1960 for “Exodus” — was murdered in West Hollywood in 1976 at the age of 37. The actor, who was gay, played the part of John “Plato” Crawford in “Rebel.” Franco’s movie is based on a recent biography of Mineo by Michael Gregg Michaud. But the best Mineo tome by far remains “Who Killed Sal Mineo?” by Susan Braudy.
