James Franco 'fascinated by Twilight'

James Franco has admitted that he is fascinated by the popularity of The Twilight Saga books and films.

Franco told MTV News that he does not necessarily enjoy the vampire series, but he is interested in the concept of vampires living in regular society.

"I wouldn't say I enjoy them, but I'm fascinated with them. I'm interested in the metaphor of the vampire placed in the high school setting and how a relationship with a vampire can stand in for general feelings that people have as teenagers," he said. "And the obsession people have with that is also fascinating to me."

The Eat Pray Love actor noted that public adoration for the stars of the Twilight films adds a new element to the series' mythology.

"The movies are interesting also because they've really become part of the whole Twilight phenomenon, and it's really hard to extricate those actors from the reading experience or just the phenomenon of Twilight now."

He continued: "They've become a part of it (the books' continuity) to the point that the movies are almost commenting on themselves."

Franco added that he was ultimately disappointed with the novelisation of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn because he felt that the sexual content was toned down.

"I think I got to the sex scene, but it was so brief, I didn't even know if it was the actual sex scene," he said. "It was kind of a letdown after all that build-up."

The big screen adaptation of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 1 will debut in US cinemas on November 8.