Franco says he knew his Oscar stint was doomed

Los Angeles: James Franco, who was panned for his less-than-enthusiastic appearance as the Oscar host this year, says he knew that it wasn't going to work.

Franco became one of the youngest stars along with Anne Hathaway to host the awards gala but actor had a bad feeling the material was going to bomb, especially the part where he dressed up as Marilyn Monroe, the Hollywood Reporter said.

The 127 Hours star says that he was excited to host the awards but once the rehearsals started, he started having second thoughts.

"It's hard to talk about because it's like assigning blame - not a fun thing to do. For three or four weeks we shot the promos and the little film that played in the opening. In the last week, when we really started focusing on the script for the live show and did a run-through, I said to the producer, 'I don't know why you hired me, because you haven't given me anything. I just don't think this stuff's going to be good," Franco said.

Franco was also criticised for dressing up like Marilyn Monroe and the actor admits that he too hated it and even tried to sabotage it.

"I was deliberately going to fall onstage and hopefully my dress would fall off or something - they couldn't blame that on me; I was in high heels," Franco said.

"I told them, 'Look, this is the thing people are going to talk about, the images they will take away from the show. I just didn't want to fight anymore, even when they said, 'You'll come out as Marilyn Monroe. It'll be funny.' Me in drag is not funny."

As for criticism that Franco lacked enthusiasm, especially next to Hathaway, the actor said that was intentional.

"As far as having low energy or seeming as though I wasn't into it or was too cool for it, I thought, OK, Anne is going the enthusiastic route. I've been trained as an actor to respond to circumstances, to the people I'm working with, and not force anything,'" Franco added.

"So I thought I would be the straight man and she could be the other, and that's how I was trying to do those lines. I felt kind of trapped in that material. I felt, 'This is not my boat. I'm just a passenger, but I'm going down and there's no way out.'"