Brendan Fraser has gained so much critical acclaim for his performance in the upcoming film from Darren Aronofsky, The Whale. This film has signified a major comeback for the actor as he has already been cast in the new Scorsese film, Killers of the Flower Moon, in addition to Oscar talk. The reason Fraser has been out of the public eye for so long involves an incident in which he accused a former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press of sexually assaulting him back in 2003
Because of this traumatic event, Fraser has decided to distance himself from the Golden Globes and promises that he will not attend, even if he gets nominated for his much-praised performance in The Whale. Entertainment Weekly reports on Fraser’s statement that he’s taking a stand against recognizing the organization when they have not offered any apologies or reparations of any kind.
I have more history with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association than I have respect for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. No, I will not participate. It’s because of the history that I have with them. And my mother didn’t raise a hypocrite. You can call me a lot of things, but not that.”
Fraser came out and named his offender in a GQ profile back in 2018, saying Philip Berk, the former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press, who hosts the Golden Globes, had groped him and assaulted him. The HFPA responded in a statement, saying, “The HFPA stands firmly against sexual harassment and the type of behavior described in this article.” The HFPA told Fraser there would be an investigation; however, they instead sent him an offer to cosign a joint statement that read, “Although it was concluded that Mr. Berk inappropriately touched Mr. Fraser, the evidence supports that it was intended to be taken as a joke and not as a sexual advance.” Fraser refused to sign and never heard more back from them.
The Whale is set to be released in theaters on December 9.