James Franco is defended by Alison Brie as he attends SAG Awards 2018 after sexual misconduct allegations

James Franco skipped the red carpet as he kept a low profile at the Screen Actors Guild Awards following multiple allegations of sexual misconduct.

Franco, 39, attended Sunday night’s event, where he was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role, just days after he swerved the Critics’ Choice Awards.

It marked his first public appearance since he was accused of sexual harassment by five women who came forward after Franco wore a badge in support of the Time’s Up movement at the Golden Globes earlier this month.

But Franco was defended by his sister-in-law, and GLOW star, Alison Brie, who claimed some allegations levelled against the actor are not “fully accurate”.

Speaking on the SAG Awards red carpet she told E! News: “What we’ve always said is that it remains vital that anyone who feels victimized should and does have the right to speak out and come forward.

“I obviously support my family and not everything that’s been reported is fully accurate, so I think we’re waiting to get all the information. But, of course, now is a time for listening and that’s what we’re all trying to do.”

She also praised Franco’s reaction to the allegations, telling Entertainment Tonight: “You know, I really admire how he’s handling everything, listening and being open to change.

“I think we all need to support men being open to change if we want to see major change in this industry.”

The LA Times reported five women, including former students at his Studio 4 acting school in New York, made allegations against the actor, with one claiming he removed plastic guards covering actresses’ genitals while filming scenes simulating oral sex for The Long Home in May 2015.

Franco’s lawyer, Michael Plonsker, told the paper “the allegations about the protective guards are not accurate”.

Two former student actresses also said he became hostile and stormed off when they did not volunteer to remove their clothes during a scene at a strip club.

Franco previously denied the allegations during an appearance on The Late Show with Seth Meyers.

Speaking to the US chat show host he said: “Look, in my life, I pride myself on taking responsibility for things that I’ve done. I have to do that to maintain my well-being. I do it whenever I know that there is something wrong or needs to be changed, I make it a point to do it.

“The things that I heard that were on Twitter are not accurate, but I completely support people coming out and being able to have a voice because they didn’t have a voice for so long.

“I don’t want to, you know, shut them down in any way. It’s, I think, a good thing and I support it.”