Brendan Fraser Alleges Former HFPA President Sexually - Allure That's when they came up with the idea for the Golden Globe Awards. Hollywood Foreign Press Association Awards $1 Million Grant to In his suit, Russell alleged that the HFPA "abuse their positions and engage in unethical and potentially unlawful deals and arrangements which amount to a payola scheme" and claimed that he was fired after he brought these issues up with then-president Phillip Berk. president criticizing Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors and likening BLM to a hate group . . Hollywood Foreign Press Association | New York Post 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. Fraser told GQ that he was overcome by panic and fear in the moment. or redistributed. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Withdraw consent by clicking on the link in any issue. Do I feel like I need to say something? Meet the New The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, 105 Strong IndieWire is a part of Penske Media Corporation. "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. Cruise won his three awards for his roles in "Magnolia," "Jerry Maguire," and "Born on the Fourth of July.". Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Frasers version is a total fabrication, he also said in a statement to GQ, acknowledging that he wrote a letter to Fraser about the alleged incident. In a new interview with GQ published on Thursday, the Mummy star, 49, claims that former Hollywood Foreign Press Association (the non-profit organization that votes for the Golden Globe awards) president Philip Berk sexually assaulted him in the summer of 2003, while at a luncheon at the Beverly Hills Hotel an alleged incident Berk disputes. 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. ", Kourtney Kardashian Shut Down a Fan Who Asked If She's Pregnant and Ignited a Debate About Women's Bodies. Its investigation concluded that "the evidence supports that it was intended to be taken as a joke" and suggested issuing a joint statement with Fraser. Please enter valid email address to continue. In addition to recognizing 2021's best in film and . Have I wanted to many, many times? In a new interview with GQ, "The Mummy" star alleges that the HFPA's Philip Berk assaulted him at the Beverly Hills Hotel in the summer of 2003. Brendan Fraser is speaking out for the first time about his experience with sexual harassment in Hollywood. I felt like a little kid. Brendan Fraser (left) accused former Hollywood Foreign Press President Philip Berk of groping him in 2003. Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. 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. The actor, 49, who can be seen next month in FX's Getty family drama Trust,says the experience messed with his sense of who I was and what I was doing. Work, he says, withered on the vine for me. I felt ill, he said, recalling his emotions after he removed Berks hand. I felt like there was a ball in my throat. These publicity firms had actually threatened to advise their clients to boycott the Golden Globes earlier in March if the HFPA didn't reform, following the Los Angeles Times investigation. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. However, many are saying that these claimed reforms are a superficial band-aid and are nothing more than a few bullet points that vaguely gesture at reform. "It made me feel reclusive," the . Magazines, Or create a free account to access more articles, Brendan Fraser Says Former Hollywood Foreign Press Association President Assaulted Him. Absolutely, he said. Berk has repeatedly claimed that all he did was jokingly pinch Fraser's butt. Am I still frightened? Scarlett Johansson has publicly stated that she will be taking a step back from HFPA-associated events, which she says have frequently involved "facing sexist questions and remarks by certain HFPA members that bordered on sexual harassment." Members receive payments for writing for HFPA's website and for working at the annual grants dinner in addition to the payments they receive for serving on the committees. There was also an incident in 1999, when HFPA members were gifted $400 Coach watches by USA Films. 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Miller Denies Allegation He Sexually Assaulted and Punched Woman While in College. My apology admitted no wrongdoing, the usual If Ive done anything that upset Mr. Fraser, it was not intended and I apologize., In his 2014 memoir With Signs and Wonders: My Journey from Darkest Africa to the Bright Lights of Hollywood, Berk recounted the incident too saying he pinched Frasiers ass in jest., RELATED VIDEO: Women of Hollywood Attend Golden Globes Together in Support of the Times Up Movement, While other factors contributed to the downward momentum of his career, Fraser tells GQ that his alleged experience with Berk made [him] retreat and feel reclusive., [I] became depressed, he said, recounting how he told himself he deserved what happened to him. "I'm the only one who would know where I was touched on my body," he said to GQ. The actor said that the incident made him reclusive and he retreated from public life. Helen Hoehne will be the next President of the HFPA, it was revealed today. I became depressed. 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. The former "Mummy" star said that he panicked. One member confused Daniel Kaluuya for another Black actor, Leslie Odom Jr., just minutes after Kaluuya's Oscar win, while a former Hollywood Foreign Press president was expelled from the group . With a group of 21 other journalists, their hope was to pool their knowledge and "formalize their relationship with the studios" in the hopes of making it easier to work on film journalism. Golden Globes and Hollywood Foreign Press Association backlash - CNET Fraser refused to sign off on the joint statement and maintained, "I don't get the joke.". 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.. In the summer of 2003, then-president Philip Berk groped Brendan Fraser at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! 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. As the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network points out, men who have survived harassment or abuse may experience intense shame that they were not "strong enough" to fight off an attack; their sexuality may also be questioned, leading many men to stay silent. I thought I was going to cry," he says. All Rights Reserved. According to Deadline, in 2013, the HFPA settled a suit with its former publicist Michael Russell. Berk, who has admitted to pinching Fraser's behind, denied that the incident went beyond that, saying, "Mr. Fraser's version is a total fabrication.". He previously. And he starts moving it around, Fraser told the magazine, recalling becomingovercome with panic and fear. Brendan Fraser promotes 'Trust' after alleging misconduct Berk, no longer president of the HFPA but still a member, told GQ Fraser'sversion of events "is a total fabrication.. Brendan Fraser Accuses the Hollywood Foreign Press Association In an interview with GQ, he confessed, "His left hand reaches around, grabs my a** cheek, and one of his fingers touches me in the taint. And he starts moving it around. April 19, 2021 3:30 PM PT. HFPA President Lorenzo Soria expressed his enthusiasm and hopes for what the grant bestowed upon CSUN will bring. 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." Dave Quinn is an Editor for PEOPLE, working across a number of verticals including the Entertainment, Lifestyle and News teams. Have I stopped myself? With some even speculating that the IRS has reason to investigate, it's not unlikely that HFPA members may have to do more than attend a few seminars on diversity and sexual harassment. But the silence was deafening, he said, adding that he was rarely invited back to the Globes after 2003. NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 14: Brendan Fraser attends AOL Build to discuss his role in 'The Affair' at AOL HQ on December 14, 2016 in New York City. What Ever Happened To Brendan Fraser? | GQ Golden Globes voters in tumult: Members accuse Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. Check out 100 years of eye looks: 2023 Cond Nast. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Lorenzo Soria, the president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association which runs the Golden Globe Awards died Friday at his Los Angeles home, a family member told Variety. Then, in April 2021, he was expelled from the organization after sending an article that described Black Lives Matters as a "racist hate movement" to HFPA members. Ex-President of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association - Jezebel Jonathan Majors on Oscar Favorites, Bad Reviews, and the Road Trip That Made Him Realize He Was a Star, The Best Picture Race Got a Lot More Confusing This Week, Tom Cruise Made the Rounds This Week, but Other Oscar Nominees Got More Applause Than Top Gun: Maverick, How Michael B. Jordans Love of Anime Shaped Creed III Fight Scenes, Translating the Unconscious Into Images: The Cinematography of Bardo, Poker Face Takes Viewers on a Cross-Country Road Trip Without Leaving New York, The 50 Best Movies of 2022, According to 165 Critics from Around the World, All 81 Titles Unceremoniously Removed from HBO Max (So Far), 10 Shows Canceled but Not Forgotten in 2022. Fraser is not the only male star taking action over assault claims. Brendan Fraser Alleges HFPA President Sexually Assaulted Him - Peoplemag However, he said the note did not admit anything. I felt like there was a ball in my throat. He says he didn't have the courage to speak out about it earlier because of the "risk of humiliation, or damage to my career.. The group even adopted the motto, "Unity without discrimination of religion or race," according to Hollywood Foreign Press Association: A History. In 2003 he began researching the business case for climate action for the . Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. And he starts moving it around. I think it was. Lorenzo Soria, president of Hollywood Foreign Press Association, dead at 68 Helen Hoehne Re-Elected President of HFPA - Variety (Berk denies that the HFPA retaliated against Fraser, telling GQ, His career declined through no fault of ours). Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. I thought I was going to cry, he told the magazine. This is the shady truth about the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. The 88-year-old Berk, who served eight terms as HFPA president and was a member of the association for 44 years, sent an email sharing the post with the association's members, staff, general . "If I've done anything that upset Mr. Fraser, it was not intended," he said in the statement. I felt like there was a ball in my throat. Brendan Fraser accuses former HFPA president of groping him in 2003 Brendan Fraser's #MeToo Story Against the Hollywood Foreign Press An email sent Sunday by a former Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. Historically, the HFPA has sought to maintain its reserved and exclusive appearance. All Rights Reserved. sexually assaulted him in 2003. . His left hand reaches around, grabs my ass cheek, and one of his fingers touches me in the taint. 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. hollywood foreign press association Brendan Fraser nabs Golden Globe nomination despite vowing not to attend December 12, 2022 | 11:14am The 53-year-old has vowed to boycott the ceremony. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Here is how Fraser describes the incident, which occurred at the Beverly Hills Hotel during an HFPA luncheon, to GQ: His left hand reaches around, grabs my ass cheek, and one of his fingers touches me in the taint. Brendan Fraser Says Former HFPA President Assaulted Him | Time I felt like a little kid. Brendan Fraser claims he was groped in 2003 by Philip Berk, then president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, an experience Fraser says left him depressed and miserable. Fraser said that he spoke with an independent investigator in April, which the HFPA confirmed. I call them friends in my mind. I thought I was going to cry," Fraser said. Is it ever okay to ask a woman especially one who's publicly undergone IVF if she's pregnant? Among those efforts, transparency seems to be the major buzzword for now, I hear. 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? I felt like a little kid. The HFPA said that it is investigating further details surrounding the incident. "His left-hand reaches around grabs my ass cheek, and one of his fingers touches me in the taint. And HFPA has stated that their payments are "vetted by a professional nonprofit compensation consultant and outside counsel, where appropriate. ", 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. After Fraser spoke publicly about the incident in 2018, HFPA conducted an investigation into the incident. The HFPA's board members are also paid, making "between $63,433 and $135,957 in the tax year ending June 30, 2019. In my mind, at least, something had been taken away from me., The HFPA responded late Thursday, saying in a statement that the group "stands firmly against sexual harassment and the type of behavior described in this article. I thought I was going to cry., After immediately leaving the luncheon, Fraser told his wife of the interaction but otherwise remained silent for fear of embarrassment and career damage. Lorenzo Soria Elected President of Hollywood Foreign Press Association