Brendan Fraser Doesn’t Want to Attend the Golden Globe Awards

The Golden Globes will have one visitor less in 2023: Even if he were nominated, according to US actor Brendan Fraser, he would not want to come.

It’s about allegations of sexual assault against the ex-boss of the organizer.

As the protagonist in the US film »The Whale«, he celebrated success at several film festivals in 2022: Brendan Fraser was one of the celebrated stars at the Venice Film Festival, and he received the TIFF Tribute Award at the Toronto International Film Festival for his acting performance. Now Fraser announced in an interview with the US magazine “GQ”: Even if he is nominated for the Golden Globes, he does not want to come to the award ceremony. Fraser justified his decision with a “longer history” he has with the Globe organizers, the Association of Hollywood Foreign Press (HFPA).

The US actor is referring to allegations from 2018: At that time Brendan Fraser accused the former president of the HFPA of sexual assault. At a joint lunch in Beverly Hills in 2003, Philip Berk grabbed his buttocks and touched him between his genitals and anus. “I felt sick,” Brendan said in an interview with “GQ” at the time. “Like a little kid.” Berk denied any wrongdoing. He admitted to pinching Fraser’s butt at the event, but told GQ he did it as a joke.

Fraser has now claimed to GQ that the HFPA reached out to him behind the scenes following the allegations and suggested that he issue a statement: “Although it was concluded that Mr Berk improperly touched on Mr Fraser”. , according to the alleged wording, “evidence suggests that this was intended as a joke and not as a sexual advance.” Fraser refused to sign the statement. That “history” outweighs “respect” for the HFPA. “My mother didn’t raise a hypocrite,” Fraser says.

After the allegations, Berk initially remained a member of the HFPA until 2021, when allegations of racism about the former HFPA board were made: Previously, an e-mail went public in which he described Black Lives Matter as a “hate movement”. As a result, Berk was fired and lost his membership.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) was criticized in 2021 for racism and a lack of diversity. The television station NBC therefore canceled the broadcast of the 2022 awards. The association then elected a new board with more members. In the future, the prize will be awarded by a private company, but the HFPA remains associated with the Globes as an organization.