Gaal says that this wasn't the only problem with auditions: "We were consistently auditioning for projects that had nudity, and we had to upload our self-tapes at home, so they were consistently getting footage of this sensitive nature of work."
The allegations against Franco first surfaced on Twitter, and then in the Los Angeles Times, in January 2018.
At the Golden Globe Awards that month, Franco was seen wearing a Time's Up pin. At least three women, including Tither-Kaplan, took to Twitter to complain that his support of the cause was disingenuous.
Appearing on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert a day later, Franco denied the accusations.
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's 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, so I don't want to shut them down in any way. I think it's a good thing and I support it.
The following day, the Los Angeles Times published a story in which Tither-Kaplan and four other former students of Franco made allegations against him allegations that are similar to those in the complaint. But the Times also reported that more than a dozen of Franco's former students at Studio 4 said they had "a positive experience" there.
In addition to Franco, two other defendants and their production company, Rabbit Bandini, are named in the complaint.
In a statement released at the time of the 2018 accusations, Vince Jolivette the co-owner of Rabbit Bandini, which ran Studio 4 said that "the school was always run professionally," that "instructors were excellent, [and] student feedback was positive."
The complaint alleges that the acting school purposefully sought out "young, nave women between the ages of 17-24" because they would not understand how the film industry functions. Plaintiff Tither-Kaplan says she hopes her lawsuit will shine a light on what she describes as an abuse of power.
"They knew who they were asking to do the improvised sex and nude scenes," Tither-Kaplan says. "They knew what level we were at in our careers. And I think that's by design, because it sort of protects them from any real repercussions because they can just write us off as nobodies."
The women are seeking unspecified damages. They also want an apology and the destruction of any videos Franco and his partners still have from their time in the class.
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MVP Tracker: 1-0 September AFC Offensive Player of the Month Tracker: 2-0