He is enjoying a career renaissance thanks to his role in 'The Whale', which is expected to net him several gongs when awards season rolls around.
However, one ceremony that Brendan Fraser won't be attending is the Golden Globes.
The actor claims that he was 'groped' by Philip Berk - who was the former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which runs the Golden Globes - at a lunch in 2003.
He first made the allegation in 2018, saying that was the reason he had stayed away from Hollywood for so many years. "I was blaming myself and I was miserable – because I was saying, ‘This is nothing; this guy reached around and he copped a feel," he said. "It made me feel reclusive.”
Berk called his account a 'total fabrication', but an internal investigation by the HFPA concluded that he had "inappropriately touched” Fraser but that his action "was intended to be taken as a joke and not as a sexual advance."
In any case, it seems that Fraser has not made his peace with the HFPA, and ergo will not be attending the Golden Globes - even if he is nominated for an award.
He said in an interview with GQ: "I knew they [the HFPA] would close ranks. I knew they would kick the can down the road. I knew they would get ahead of the story. I knew that I certainly had no future with that system as it was … I think it was because it was too prickly or sharp-edged or icky for people to want to go first and invest emotionally in the situation."
When asked if he would attend the ceremony if nominated, he said "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 is tipped for a 'Best Actor' nomination at the Oscars for his role in Darren Aronofsky's 'The Whale', which is due for release in Irish cinemas in February 2023.
