Brendan Fraser’s return to the Hollywood spotlight has met with well-deserved admiration and praise. After Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale premiered at the 2022 Venice Film Festival, which evoked a six-minute standing ovation, there has been a lot of buzz around Fraser’s performance as Charlie, with some stating that it is the best performance in his career.
Despite the success of his latest role, Fraser has no desire to support the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
In 2021 the Los Angeles Times ran an expose on the Golden Globes, which revealed the organization’s lack of diversity and ethical lapses, the ceremony was dropped by NBC.
'The Whale'Credit: A24
But the fallout didn’t last long. The HFPA announced that the Globes will return to NBC on Jan. 10, 2023. The one-year agreement with NBC will allow the Globes to showcase who they believe the best talent in the industry is, but Best Actor contender Fraser will not be in attendance for a few good reasons.
“I have more history with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association than I have respect for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association,” Fraser said in a GQ cover story. “No, I will not participate.”
The actor alleged in 2018 that Philip Berk, a former president and member of the HFPA, assaulted Fraser at a 2003 luncheon. After the article went public, the HFPA proposed Fraiser sign a joint statement saying, “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 although he was “still frightened” about the repercussions of coming forward. Berk did not face any disciplinary action for his alleged assault.
Berk, who was a member of the HFPA for 44 years and eight-term past president, was fired from the organization in April 2021 following the circulation of an article he sent to his fellow members that described Black Lives Matter as a “racist hate movement” and shamed its co-founder, Patrisse Cullors, for purchasing a home in Topanga Canyon.
“I knew they would close ranks,” Fraser said of coming forward. “I knew they would kick the can down the road. I knew they would get ahead of the story."
Despite the HFPA reportedly reforming its membership and voting practices, the damage has been done, and Fraser believes there is no progress.
'The Affair'Credit: Showtime Networks
Fraser added that this history that he has with them has solidified his decision to not attend any event hosted by the HFPA, and we fully support this decision. Fraser’s #MeToo allegations were ignored by the HFPA and by the system that was supposed to support him.
Those in the industry, and the world, who have come forward with their sexual assault allegations are often ignored and dismissed in favor of a system that “works” for the majority of people. But that system is broken and has been broken for a very long time.
It is hard for me to celebrate the Globes’ return when they have this kind of history. Only time will tell if they have made changes to mend the HFPA’s wrongdoings over the last few decades.
Let us know if you will be tuning in for the Globes this year.
Source: GQ
