Brendan Fraser to skip Golden Globes 2023 after accusing former HFPA President Philip Berk of sexual assault

American-Canadian
actor Brendan Fraser confirmed to GQ magazine that he will not be attending the
Golden Globes Award ceremony in 2023, even if he gets nominated for his critically
acclaimed role in the 2022 psychological drama The Whale.

During
the preparation for a new cover profile for GQ’s Men of the Year issue, Fraser
was asked if he would attend the Golden Globes, to which the actor said he “will not participate”. The award
ceremony is scheduled for January 10 next year.

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“I have more history with the Hollywood
Foreign Press Association than I have respect for the Hollywood Foreign Press
Association. I will not participate.” he said, adding, “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.”

In 2018, Fraser made headlines when he opened up about his ups and downs
in Hollywood in another GQ profile interview. He talked about how years of
stunt work had taken a toll on his physical and mental health.

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In the same interview, he accused Philip Berk, a former president and
member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization behind the
Golden Globes, of groping and assaulting him in 2003.

“His left-hand reaches around, grabs my ass cheek, and one of his
fingers touches me in the taint. And he starts moving it around,” Fraser had
said. “I felt ill. I felt like a little kid. I felt like there was a ball in my
throat. I thought I was going to cry”, Fraser revealed. Philip Berk had denied
the accusations at the time.

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After the article was released, the HFPA issued a statement saying,
“The HFPA stands firmly against sexual harassment and the type of behavior
described in this article.”

In the latest profile, Fraser said that after making a promise to
investigate, the HFPA ultimately came back to him with a proposed joint
statement that read, per the actor: “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 co-sign the statement.