James Franco was on Inside the Actors Studio sporting his douche stache and reflecting on his craft. There was a high demand for tickets to Franco’s talk, with TMZ reporting a couple weeks ago when it was taped that over 250 people had to be turned down when they tried to score tickets. Franco is said to have been very gracious with everyone there, and to have “stayed another hour-and-a-half after the taping and talked to every single student and fan who wanted to talk… No one has done that [except] Paul Newman.” That’s really nice!

It sounds like Franco really made it worth everyone’s time. He told host Frank James Lipton an interesting story about how he tried to do research for his role as a male prostitute in 2002’s Sonny. He tried to shadow a gigolo and ended up watching him have sex with a John. He’s such a weird guy.

In a televised interview with James Lipton for ‘Inside the Actors Studio,’ Franco reflects on the time when, researching a role, he ended up watching a gigolo have sex with a man.

“I found this guy that was kind of a perfect model,” Franco said. “He claimed to service both males and females. He took me on one of his jobs.”

At the time, Franco was studying for his role in ‘Sonny,’ where he played a male prostitute. To get a grasp for the part, Franco shadowed a gigolo in the back of a strip club, but things went a little further than he anticipated.

“The guy said, ‘Oh, you wanna play a prostitute? You want some real research? Then come with us,'” Franco recalls. “It went down. Everything went down, as you see in the movies and hear about. The eerie thing is, it was like a movie, but it wasn’t a movie — it was the real thing, happening in front of me.”

[From Popeater]

It’s actually pretty damn funny when Franco explains it, and you can tell he didn’t mind being there at all. You know, watching this video I get it, I get his appeal. He’s personable and kinky and has this kind of joy for life.

Franco is going to do two more stints on General Hospital this February, in episodes that will air directly before and after his Oscar hosting gig. The executive producer of General Hospital told TV Guide that they approached Franco after hearing about his Oscar’s hosting gig. (Franco will be in LA where they’re located.) They asked him if he’d be available for another guest spot on the show – and he said yes!

Franco has an MFA in fine arts from Columbia University and is currently getting his PhD in English from Yale. No wonder the dude looks so tired usually. I wish more celebrities would go to college and explore art and culture like Franco. He doesn’t seem too caught up in his own hype either, although I’m sure a lot of people would disagree with me.

The video below where Franco explains his prostitute experience only plays for US visitors. Sorry about that! The next video that loads after this one has Franco explaining how he got into acting. He had a girlfriend in high school who was auditioning for something and it occurred to him that he could do it.

James Franco is shown on 12/8/10 at The 2nd Annual Rob Pruitt Art Awards at Webster Hall in NY. Credit: C.Smith/ WENN.com. Other photos are screenshots from Inside The Actors Studio