My teenage years made me better actor: James Franco

London: Actor James Franco feels his teenage years, which saw him have a number of brushes with the law, helped him progress in his career.

The "Spring Breakers" star was arrested in high school for allegedly stealing and illegally selling cologne at the school dances as well as for drinking and graffiti offences but believes it has helped to propel his film career, reported Female First.

"By the time I got to high school I didn't have a 'thing'. So I ended up just getting into a lot of trouble. Like in 8th grade we started stealing cologne. We had like thirty bottles of cologne each in our lockers at school and then we could sell cologne at the dances."

Later, the 37-year-old actor decided to make a "big change" in his life and went to study theatre at the California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA).

Lending his voice and story to animated video California Inspires Me, he spoke about his time at the CSSSA.

"All in one year everything changed. I feel like LA or California as a whole contributed to that feeling that I could do what I wanted. But maybe it looks like I'm just a mad scientist gone off the rails."