James Franco is suddenly in the news for flirting online with an underage 17-year-old Scottish girl named Lucy Clode on Instagram. Though there has been severe backlash against the 35-year-old actor for asking Lucy to meet him at some hotel as they chatted, there are various news agencies who believe that Franco could be doing all of this because he wants to promote his upcoming film "Palto Alto" with Emma Watson. Whatever the reason be, Franco and Lucy Clode's chat is all over Internet now. Let's find out more about Lucy Clode.

1. Lucy is just a 17-year-old and that makes her underage. She met Franco at an autograph signing event in New York and began making a video of the actor. When Franco noticed Clode doing so, he asked her to tag him on her Instagram video.

2. Lucy and Franco started flirting with each other through text messages. Franco directly asked her how old she was, if she had a boyfriend or was she single and whether she can give him her number. Clode too replied with "not if you're around," followed by smiley faces with hearts when Franco asked him if she had a boyfriend.

3. Clode lives in Scotland and is in New York to stay with her mother as a part of her birthday present, according to heavy.com. She confessed to Franco that she was "nearly 18" and that she has her exams soon.

4. Clode, who has now deleted all her social media accounts, apparently has a boyfriend and is in a steady relationship with him. She has several pictures of her with her boyfriend on the social media sites.

5. Clode apparently rejected James Franco's proposal to meet him at a hotel. "Rejecting James Franco has to be the hardest thing I have ever done," Lucy wrote on her Twitter account along with the picture of James Franco, waving to her.

James Franco responded to the entire controversy in a light hearted manner. "I'M NOT! I HOPE PARENTS KEEP THEIR TEENS AWAY FROM ME. Thank you," Franco wrote on his Instagram account and later deleted it to avoid any further controversy. However it can be seen here.