On Dec. 12, “The Whale” star Brendan Fraser snagged a 2023 Golden Globes best actor nomination for his film performance. However, back in November, the 54-year-old actor spoke out against the awards show and Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization that votes for and runs the Golden Globes. In a GQ interview, Fraser stated that even if he were nominated for his role, he would not attend the ceremony.
“I have more history with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association than I have respect for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association,” Fraser told the outlet. “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.”
Back in 2018, in another GQ interview, Fraser publicly shared allegations against former HFPA member and the organization’s former president Philip Berk. Fraser claimed Berk groped and assaulted him in 2003 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Berk has disputed Fraser’s account.
When Fraser’s accusations came out four years ago, the HFPA said in a statement, “The HFPA stands firmly against sexual harassment and the type of behavior described in this article.” The organization added, “This report includes alleged information that the HFPA was previously unaware of, and at this time we are investigating further details surrounding the incident.”Fraser spoke to the independent investigator, but told GQ in his most recent interview that the HFPA came back with a joint statement they could release together. According to Fraser, the statement would read, “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 would not sign it, and Berk remained with the organization.
“I knew they would close ranks,” Fraser told GQ in November. “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.” The HFPA did not immediately respond to POPSUGAR’s request for comment on Fraser’s latest remarks.
Eventually, there was a major shakeup at the HFPA, but not because of Fraser’s allegations. In 2021, the LA Times revealed that HFPA had no Black members. The publication also revealed many ethical and financial conflicts in the organization. The news came not long after the 2021 nominees were released and widely derided for their lack of diversity, particularly for excluding movies and TV shows about Black people. Berk was expelled from the organization in April 2021 after sending members an email with an article that called Black Lives Matter a “racist hate movement.”
NBC announced in May 2021 that the network would no longer air the Golden Globes, and the 2022 ceremony was not broadcast. But NBC changed course for the upcoming 2023 ceremony and will air them on Jan. 10 in agreement with a one-year deal with the organization. That decision was in response to changes made by HFPA. The HFPA said they added 103 voters, making 51.5 percent of voters “racially and ethnically diverse;” Black voters now comprise 10 percent of the voting body. The organization also instituted more rules about gift giving and announced charitable donations.
Fraser told GQ that “at the moment,” he does not believe in HFPA’s announced reforms. “Maybe time will tell,” he said. He said that the organization never apologized to him, although the HFPA told GQ they apologized twice. Berk told GQ in 2018 that he wrote a letter to Fraser about the incident but did not admit “wrongdoing.” Fraser said if the HFPA wanted to make amends, he would want it to be “sincere,” but added that he’s not the only person who’s felt wronged by the group and that people have confided in him. “I would expect that it would be something that would be meaningful for them too,” he said.