James Franco thinks "getting to know the parents" in a long-term relationship is important.

James Franco

James Franco

The 38-year-old actor stars as vulgar billionaire Laird Mayhew in the upcoming comedy movie 'Why Him?' - which follows the story of Laird meeting his girlfriend's parents during the holiday season - and has said that he always meets the parents of his partners when the relationship gets more serious, and finds it "much better" if they get along.

He said: "My longer relationships, yeah, I get to know the parents. There have been parents that I like, and parents that like me, and then others that I just do not get along with. If you're in a long-term relationship, it can be a major factor. So it's much better when you get along."

Meanwhile, James' co-star Bryan Cranston - who plays Ned, the father of Laird's girlfriend - said the best thing to do when meeting the parents is to "get the mom to like you".

He said: "You need to get the mom to like you, if you're a guy. That's the target. Just give up on the dad, he's not going to like you anyway."

But 60-year-old Bryan - who has 23-year-old daughter Taylor with his wife Robin Dearden - doesn't think meeting the family is as important as it was when he was dating, as young people "hook up on their own" these days.

Speaking to USA Today, Bryan said: "It's different. When I was a kid I used to have to go to the house of the girl you want to take out and I'd have to meet her parents. It was, 'Hello, nice to meet you, how are you, (we'll) be back at 12!' (Now) it's like the kids all hang out together, and they'll separate and hook up on their own."

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