
 
 Busy Philipps has made lifelong friends on film and TV sets over her 20-year career, but it sounds like James Franco isn’t one of them. In her anticipated new memoir, This Will Only Hurt a Little, out Oct. 16, Philipps recalls a scary moment with her former Freaks and Geeks co-star. 
 
 In an excerpt obtained by Radar Online and verified by Yahoo Entertainment, Philipps details an incident in which Franco allegedly shoved her to the ground, and she writes that he was a “f***ing bully.” While shooting a scene for the 1999 cult TV hit, Philipps claims she was directed to gently hit Franco in the chest while delivering a line. The actor supposedly broke character and got upset. 
 
 View photos James Franco and Busy Philipps. (Photo: Getty Images) More 
 
 “He grabbed both my arms and screamed in my face, ‘DON’T EVER TOUCH ME AGAIN!’” she writes in the book. “And he threw me to the ground. Flat on my back. Wind knocked out of me.” 
 
 Philipps remembers everyone on set was horrified. The Dawson’s Creek alum apparently sobbed to her co-star Linda Cardellini, who advised her to call her manager. The next day, Franco supposedly apologized after being ordered to do so by the director and producers. However, she notes that he was never punished for his supposed behavior. 
 
 View photos Busy Philipps and James Franco in Freaks and Geeks. (Photo: NBC/Courtesy of Everett Collection) More 
 
 Yahoo Entertainment reached out to a representative for Franco regarding Philipps’s story but did not immediately receive a response. 
 
 Franco’s character has been called into question over the past year; he was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women but has denied the claims. The 40-year-old actor has kept a relatively low-profile since allegations surfaced, but the accusations haven’t stymied his carrier. Seth Rogen, who also starred on Freaks and Geeks and is a frequent collaborator of Franco’s, said he would absolutely keep working with his friend. Rogen hasn’t weighed in (publicly, at least) on Philipps’s story. 
 
 Read more from Yahoo Entertainment: ||||| The actress writes about the alleged incident in an excerpt from her upcoming memoir, 'This Will Only Hurt a Little.' 
 
 Busy Philipps claims in her forthcoming memoir, This Will Only Hurt a Little, that James Franco physically assaulted her on the set of their cult comedy Freaks and Geeks, where they played a tumultuous high school couple onscreen. 
 
 In an excerpt leaked online Monday that The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed is authentic, Philipps alleges that Franco — whom she calls a "fucking bully" — pushed the actress after filming a scene. The short-lived NBC sitcom, which aired for one season from 1999-2000, was created by Paul Feig and executive produced by Judd Apatow. 
 
 In her book, Philipps remembers that the script called for her character, Kim Kelly, to gently nudge Franco's Daniel Desario in the chest. Philipps writes that the scripted gesture caused Franco to get upset, after which he allegedly "threw" the actress to the ground in retaliation. 
 
 "He grabbed both my arms and screamed in my face, 'DON’T EVER TOUCH ME AGAIN!'" Philipps writes in the book. "And he threw me to the ground. Flat on my back. Wind knocked out of me." 
 
 Philipps goes on to say that she tearfully described the alleged incident to her other Freaks and Geeks co-star Linda Cardellini, who suggested that Philipps report what happened to her manager. Philipps writes that Franco eventually apologized after being told to do so by the episode's director and producers. Though he was asked to say he was sorry, Philipps says that Franco was never punished for his alleged behavior. 
 
 When speaking to The Hollywood Reporter about her upcoming memoir and E! late-night talk show, Busy Tonight, Philipps said she and Franco have since discussed what happened on set and that he apologized. 
 
 "It wasn't even outrageous. At the time, 19 and with my first professional acting job, I was under the impression that this was just the way things were," she said. "James and I have talked about it over the years. At one point he apologized to me. I was always acutely aware of my expendability, and so I felt I needed to never complain, always show up on time and not be difficult. If someone else was being difficult, it was my job to be the easy one or figure out a way to soothe the situation." 
 
 During a 2016 appearance on Watch What Happens Live, Philipps had told host Andy Cohen about her previous confrontation with Franco on the set of Freaks and Geeks. During her chat with Cohen, the actress brought up Franco allegedly shoving her to the ground. 
 
 "When we were 19, we were on Freaks and Geeks and we really, really disliked each other. It’s well-documented," Philipps said. "He, like, shoved me to the ground once. It was really brutal. But we’re friends now and we really like each other now as adults." She added that though she and Franco "really didn't get along," they had "since made amends." 
 
 The excerpt from Philipps' book comes nearly nine months after Franco was accused of sexual misconduct by more than five women. The star of HBO's The Deuce has denied the accusations, calling the accounts "not accurate." 
 
 Aside from the assault she allegedly suffered at the hands of Franco, Philipps revealed days ago that her book will also detail her experience being raped at 14 years old. The actress shared her story last week, hours after Christine Blasey Ford testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, whom Ford has accused of sexual assault. (Kavanaugh has denied Ford's allegations.) 
 
 "This is me at 14. The age I was raped. It's taken me 25 years to say those words. I wrote about it in my book. I finally told my parents and sister about it 4 months ago," Philipps wrote on Instagram, accompanied by what appears to be a school photo. "Today is the day we are silent no more. All of us. I'm scared to post this. I can't imagine what Dr. Ford is feeling right now." 
 
 THR has reached out to reps for Franco. 
 
 This Will Only Hurt a Little is due in stores Oct. 16. 
 
 Oct. 9, 7 a.m. Updated with Philipps' quotes to THR.
– James Franco is a "bully" who shoved her to the ground on the set of Freaks and Geeks, Busy Philipps writes in new memoir This Will Only Hurt a Little. In a leaked excerpt confirmed by the Hollywood Reporter, Philipps says Franco freaked out and broke character after she followed the script's direction to nudge his character in the chest. "He grabbed both my arms and screamed in my face, 'DON’T EVER TOUCH ME AGAIN!'" Philipps writes. "And he threw me to the ground. Flat on my back. Wind knocked out of me." Philipps says everybody on the set of the 1999 sitcom was appalled by Franco's behavior, Yahoo reports. She says her co-star apologized to her the next day, having been ordered to do so by the episode's director and producers, but he was never punished. Franco, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by five women, has yet to respond to the latest allegations. The Reporter notes that in her book, which is due out Oct. 16, Philipps also describes her experience of being raped when she was 14 years old. She decided to share the story for the first time last week soon after Christine Blasey Ford testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about her alleged assault by Brett Kavanaugh.