James Franco inspired by Ralston messages

James Franco has said that Aron Ralston's video messages to his family were "incredibly valuable" in helping him play the climber whose survival story inspired Danny Boyle's 127 Hours.

Speaking at the London Film Festival, the actor revealed that he had been shown the clips by Ralston himself when the pair met before shooting.

Franco said: "We were sitting there watching a guy who had accepted his own death and he didn't know there was a happy ending at the end of the story.

"He wasn't wallowing in self pity or anything. He was delivering these very simple and personal but dignified messages to his family and so to me that says loads.

"It says there's great strength there and also a great connection to his family and a great love - that he wanted to make what he thought was going to be the last things his family would ever see of him.

"To do that thinking that you're about to die was incredible and said a lot to me when I went to do the performance."

Franco added that Ralston also gained the strength to endure his experience by making the videos.

"Those messages weren't just goodbye messages," Franco explained . "Although they weren't hearing him in those moments it almost felt as though they were, and that gave him the strength to get through."