I didnt want to contend with how that made me feel, or it becoming part of my narrative, he added. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Meher Tatna is president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which created the Golden Globe Awards in 1944. . Johansson's"Avengers" co-star Mark Ruffalo has also voiced criticism of the HFPA, claiming that "honestly, as a recent winner of a Golden Globe, I cannot feel proud or happy about being a recipient of this award," per the BBC. Since 2012, the number of Syrian refugees alone has increased tenfold. The 49-year-old Fraser told GQ about the alleged incident at a 2003 luncheon in the Beverly Hills Hotel. At least 10 dead after winter storm slams South, Midwest, The Saturday Six: Dental device controversy, scientist's bug find and more, Indonesia fuel depot fire kills 18; more than a dozen missing, 3 children killed, 2 others wounded at Texas home, How a Minnesota hockey league helped a Ukrainian refugee feel at home, Biden had cancerous skin lesion removed last month, doctor says, Duo of 81-year-old women plan to see the world in 80 days, Tom Sizemore, actor known for "Saving Private Ryan" and "Heat," dies at 61, Trump met with early primary state GOP leaders, London police apologize as officer admits to dozens of rapes, Kevin Spacey pleads not guilty to 7 sexual assault charges in London, Writer files upgraded lawsuit alleging Trump "forcibly raped" her. In a new GQ profile titled What Ever Happened To Brendan Fraser?,the actor remembers being groped byPhilip Berk in the summer of 2003. In. Fraser said the moment still haunts him, especially, for instance, when he sees Berk on the television during the Golden Globes. In addition to setting up a hotline to report violations, the HFPA planned to increase membership over the course of 18 months, in addition to "creating a list of [Diversity, Equity and Inclusion] consultants.". 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Brendan Fraser says the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which runs the Golden Globes, pressured him to downplay his allegation that its former president, Philip Berk, groped him in. Member Judy Soloman claims that this is "because nobody applied," but this is a lie, according to The Wrap, which alleges that a Black journalist's application was rejected in 2013. Now the new president is hoping for a clean slate. Although it's still up in the air whether or not this might be the final nail in the Golden Globes' coffin, some say that the Golden Globes simply aren't worth saving. I think it was. But his career has noticeably waned over the past decade, leading journalists and commenters to ask multiple variations of the same question: What happened to Brendan Fraser? Anne Thompson The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. ", In response to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's inability to come up with effective reforms, both Netflix and Amazon stated that they would be boycotting the 2022 Golden Globe Awards. I felt like there was a ball in my throat. Write to Abigail Abrams at abigail.abrams@time.com. Related Brendan Fraser (left) accused former Hollywood Foreign Press President Philip Berk of groping him in 2003. According to Fraser, Berk placed his hand on his butt when they hugged at an HFPA luncheon. According to Deadline, in 2013, the HFPA settled a suit with its former publicist Michael Russell. Out in the cold with the likes of Netflix, Amazon, WarnerMedia and other studios and networks, plus essentially boycotted by top flacks and hence their top-tier clients, the HFPAs new president plans to begin a charm offensive to convince Hollywood stakeholders that things trulyhave changed for the better at the organization. Signup for Breaking News Alerts & Newsletters. Absolutely. According to the BBC, Berk "forwarded it as a point of information," though after seeing the consequences of his actions Berk later said that he "regretted sending the email.". ", Fraser recalled that when he left the room, he saw a police officer but could not bring himself to report what happened. Hoehne was one of the trio of HFPA leaders who took the stage at the less-than-stellar hybrid Globes on February 28 to address the growing discontent with a pledge of basically trust us. Which few did, to put it mildly. In the end, as one insider notes, "I don't think anyone will touch this with a 10-foot pole until they get their act together." Brendan Fraser Says Former HFPA President Sexually Assaulted Him and Derailed His Career In an interview with GQ, Brendan Fraser claimed that former Hollywood Foreign Press Association. User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and I felt like a little kid. June 7, 2018 / 2:27 PM The actor immediately left the luncheon and went home to his wife, who he said he told about the interaction. If you need help purchasing a product directly from Allure, go to our FAQ. Absolutely., Berk responded to Frasers story by telling GQ it is a total fabrication. He admitted to writing a letter to Fraser about the incident but said his apology admitted no wrongdoing.. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association ( HFPA) addressed their controversial diversity issue, namely the fact that the organization currently has no Black members, during Sunday night's. I thought I was going to cry. / CBS News. Absolutely. LOS ANGELES Brendan Fraser is joining the #MeToo movement, coming forward on Thursday with allegations of sexual assault by an ex-president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. '", Berk, who took a six-month leave of absence from the HFPA in April 2014 following backlash from his memoir but is still a member, denied the claim in an e-mail to GQ, saying: "Mr. Fraser's version is a total fabrication.". Cruise won his three awards for his roles in "Magnolia," "Jerry Maguire," and "Born on the Fourth of July.". Winners included Paul Lukas, Jennifer Jones, and the film "The Song of Bernadette." According to. Forbes also mentions that with "anemic ratings and dwindling ad dollars," it's unclear if the Golden Globes is even worth the $60 million NBC pays to license the show. Absolutely. The wing was named for the HFPA international journalists based in Southern California who cover Hollywood and host the In 2014, former HFPA president Philip Berk revealed in his memoir that Nicole Kidman received a nomination for "Billy Bathgate" because she did a HFPA interview, while her co-star, Dustin Hoffman, did not and received no nomination as a result. Withdraw consent by clicking on the link in any issue. Fraser revealed the alleged abuse in 2018,. After the 2003 luncheon, Frasers representatives asked the HFPA for an apology, and Berk confirmed to GQ that he did write one. the first of which spanned from 2003 . Through his reps, Fraser did request a written apology from the HFPA, and Berk told GQ that he did write Fraser a letter but never admitted any wrongdoing. The organization drew widespread criticism for this year's slate of . This report includes alleged information that the HFPA was previously unaware of and at this time we are investigating further details surrounding the incident.. I felt like a little kid. Absolutely.". I felt like there was a ball in my throat. However, the first awards show wasn't the glitz and glamor that it would become. Berk has repeatedly claimed that all he did was jokingly pinch Fraser's butt. Since May, members have shown their commitment to creating a reimagined HFPA. She Was Just Found in Puerto Rico, Driver, Passenger Suffer Life-Threatening Injuries After Crash Shuts Down Lake Murray Boulevard in La Mesa, San Diego Lands on Top 20 List of Happiest Places to Live,' Other San Diego Cities on List. ", It also doesn't help that HFPA member Margaret Gardiner "confused Daniel Kaluuya for another Black actor, Leslie Odom Jr., just minutes after Kaluuya's Oscar win.". The actor says he believes he was blacklisted in Hollywood partly due to the aftermath of the alleged incident. And he starts moving it around, Fraser told GQ, adding that he felt overwhelmed with panic and fear. In March 2021, the HFPA responded to the criticism by pledging to "increase membership to a minimum of 100 members this year, with a requirement that at least 13 percent of the membership be Black journalists," writes The Wrap. The alleged incident left Fraser overcome with panic and fear. Check out 100 years of eye looks: 2023 Cond Nast. A new profile of Fraser by GQ asks the same question, and adds more context to the answer: In an interview with the magazine, Fraser spoke publicly for the first time about his experience of sexual assault, alleging that he was groped by former Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) president Philip Berk in the summer of 2003. This is the shady truth about the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Screenrant reports that WarnerMedia also joined the boycott and in their official press release, "called the HFPA out for a history of sexist, racist, and homophobic questions directed at actors and creatives at past press events.". Brendan Fraser (left) accused former Hollywood Foreign Press President Philip Berk of groping him in 2003. Get our latest storiesin the feed of your favorite networks. In an interview with GQ published Thursday, Fraser said that he was groped in 2003 by Philip Berk, a former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the organization that hosts the Golden Globes. Brendan Fraser is sharing his own Me Too experience and says a 15-year-old assault may have contributed to the derailment of his career. Perhaps best known for starring as Rick O'Connell in The Mummy trilogy and the title character in 1997's George of the Jungle, actor Brendan Fraser was an omnipresent Hollywood fixture in the 1990s and the first half of the 2000s. In a new interview with GQ, The Mummy starreveals he was groped in 2003byPhilip Berk,a former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is a group of just 87 critics, and the LA Times report said the group has no Black voting members. The group even adopted the motto, "Unity without discrimination of religion or race," according to Hollywood Foreign Press Association: A History. Is it ever okay to ask a woman especially one who's publicly undergone IVF if she's pregnant? Berk, who is still a member of the HFPA, told the magazine that Frasers version of events is a total fabrication and has previously denied grabbing the actor to the New York Times. Do I feel like I need to say something? Absolutely. Absolutely. The alleged groping occurred at the Beverly Hills Hotel. "The Whale" star, 53, won't be attending the 2023 Golden Globe Awards next year even if he's nominated for his role in the highly-praised drama. Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Actor Brendan Fraser accused the former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association of sexually assaulting him in 2003, the latest in a string of people to speak out in the #MeToo. Ad Choices. On his way out, he met Berk, whose organization votes on the Golden Globes. Absolutely.. As the Golden Globes-presenting group hopes to find its way back into a Tinseltown power position, old-guarder Hoehne has her work cut out for her especially with NBC having pulled the plug on the 2022 Globes in May as the organization became mired in more and more controversy over its members/ behavior and its lack of a single Black member. Have I wanted to many, many times? Influencers: Profiles of a Partnership 2022, How to Pitch Stories and Articles to IndieWire, Leslie Grace Disagrees with Claim 'Batgirl' Was 'Unreleasable': There Was 'Potential for a Good Film', Brendan Fraser Says Lost Superman Role Would've Been 'Faustian Bargain' Anyway: 'I'm Not a One-Trick Pony', Oscars 2023: Best Makeup and Hairstyling Predictions, From 'Nymphomaniac' to 'Little Ashes': Unsimulated Sex Scenes in 36 Films. Brendan Fraser, who stars in "The Whale," claims former HFPA President Philip Berk sexually assaulted him in 2003. Absolutely. The email itself was an article from conservative commentator David Horowitz's Freedom Center website, FrontPage Mag, although it didn't include a link or a citation and was simply copy-pasted into the body of the email. sexually assaulted him in 2003. . For transparencys sake, along with Hoehne, the current HFPA board includes Gabriel Lerman, Sabrina Joshi, Yukiko Nakajima, Scott Orlin, Kirpi Uimonen, Henry Arnaud, Barbara de Oliveira Pinto, Barbara Gasser, Tina Johnk Christensen, Greet Ramaekers and Armando Gallo. I felt ill, he said, recalling his emotions after he removed Berks hand. I became depressed. "His left hand reaches around, grabs my ass cheek, and one of his fingers touches me in the taint. "If I've done anything that upset Mr. Fraser, it was not intended," he said in the statement. "His left hand reaches around, grabs my a** cheek, and one of his fingers touches me in the taint," said Fraser. Kevin Spacey faces 7 more sexual offense charges in the U.K. CBS and Les Moonves reach settlement with N.Y. attorney general, Brendan Fraser says former Hollywood Foreign Press Association president sexually harassed him.
