James Franco Actually Worked At McDonald's Before He Became Famous

James Franco is a big-time film and television star, but he wasn't always so successful. Franco started at the very bottom.

He dropped out of college in 1996 and began working at a McDonald's in Los Angeles while chasing his dream of becoming an actor.

Franco wrote a piece for The Washington Post, published Thursday morning, about his time as a Mickey D's employee.

And for the most part, Franco seemed to have an enjoyable experience.

He wrote,

I was given the late shift drive-thru position. I wore a purple visor and purple polo shirt and took orders over a headset. I refrained from reading on the job, but soon started putting on fake accents with the customers to practice for my scenes in acting class.

Though he had been a vegetarian when he started the job, Franco quickly began eating meat.

He added,

[As] soon as I got to McDonald's and was paying my own way, I started eating the cheeseburgers that were headed for the trash after being under the warming lamps [for] more than seven minutes. I would also sneak frozen apple bars and eat them in the freezer, still frozen -- great with coffee.

He also stole his fair share of fries, recalling,

I hate to whistleblow, but everyone ate straight from the fry hopper. You'd walk by and snag a fry and pop it in your mouth. So easy. I also put tons of salt on the fries because that's how I like them. I don't know if the customers ever complained.

Eventually, Franco booked a Super Bowl commercial and was able to quit the job. But it was definitely a formative experience for the young actor.

Citations: McDonalds was there for me when no one else was (The Washington Post)