PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF COACH
OCTOBER 2017 GQ.CO.ZA 103Coach for Men opens with top notes of green Nashi
pear, bergamot and kumquat, resulting in an energetic
citrus accord. The hearty cardamom, coriander and
geranium notes add fresh spiciness, with the base
of Haitian vetiver, suede and ambergris ending off
the woody scent. 10 0ml R995GQ: The fragrance campaign
is inspired by a road trip and
a guy returning home to New
York City. What do you think
about the concept?
James Franco: The idea behind
the campaign of the Coach guy
travelling around America is
a very personal idea to Stuart
Vevers, Coach’s executive
creative director. I love the
idea of a road trip and coming
home to New York. The city has
everything I’m interested in:
theatre, film, art, people.GQ: What was your first
impression of NYC?
JF: I was in my early twenties
filming and I remember the city
feeling so big, like I was going to
be lost in it. Over the years, I’ve
worked here, lived here, gone to
school here, and it’s become my
favourite place.GQ: Have you ever been on a
road trip? Where did you go
and how was the experience?
JF: About four years ago
a couple friends and I went on
a road trip to see a bunch of
land art. We started in Vegas
and then continued on to see
the Spiral Jetty in Utah, a piece
by Michael Heizer called
Double Negative in Nevada
and the Lightning Fields in
New Mexico. That’s one of the
biggest road trips I’ve taken.
It was insane.GQ: What would your ideal
road trip be?
JF: I would love to drive from
New York to Los Angeles. Maybe
one day when I have the time.GQ: What was your first
experience with fragrance?
JF: My first experience with
fragrance was when I was in
junior high. My friends and
I got into a lot of trouble taking
the testers from department
stores. We would keep them in
our lockers and sell the bottles.
We were very popular during
school dances.GQ: What are some of your
favourite scents?
JF: My backyard (lilacs and
honeysuckle), chamomile tea,
my lady’s neck.GQ: How did you get involved
in other projects apart
from acting?
JF: When I was younger all
I did was act and I loved it but
I couldn’t express everything
I wanted to. I had stories I really
wanted to tell and I couldn’t
quite do that with just acting so
I began to do other things like
writing and directing. Now I feel
like I can make the form match
the content of what I want to do.GQ: What inspires you?
JF: Literature is a really big
inspiration for me. I’ve adapted
a lot of classic American novels
into films, taking something
traditional and putting a spin
on it.GQ: What do you do for fun?
JF: Whenever I have a free
moment I’ll go to the theatre
or museums and galleries. If
I have a day off I’ll usually go
to the beach.GQ: Do you have a
grooming/health routine?
JF: Gym, tennis, surfing.GQ: Some guys are fragrance
wearers and others just
aren’t. What is your
relationship with fragrance?
JF: I use a little every day.GQ: What do you think
attracted you to this project?
JF: Stuart is what attracted me.
I love his style.GQ: What was the most fun
part of this project for you?
JF: Work ing w it h St uar t and
Steven Meisel [American
fashion photographer].