James Franco returns to NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” for the third time as guest host.
And the multihyphenate is upbeat and self-deprecating as ever in new promo spots for his Dec. 6 show, featuring musical guest Nicki Minaj.
Paired with former “Weekend Update” anchor and cast member Cecily Strong, Franco makes a holiday wish for a sandwich, pokes fun at his academic career and often packed schedule (watch the video here).
“With all the terrible things going on in the world, I just want to give the people a night where they can forget about their problems and laugh,” said Franco in one clip, when asked why he keeps coming back.
“I do the show just to get laid,” Strong responds. Franco admits, “Yeah, me too, it’s just that speech makes it a lot easier.”
The actor might need some comic relief this week, given his latest Seth Rogen buddy comedy is tangled in a massive security breach at studio Sony Pictures.
Outrage from North Korea over Franco and Rogen’s “The Interview,” a satire about a journalist and producer tasked by the CIA to assassinate Kim Jong Un, has Sony investigating whether the government or a third party acting on their behalf was behind the attack.
“Saturday Night Live” airs Saturday at 11 pm on NBC.