“My mother did not raise a hypocrite”: The reason why Brendan Fraser will not attend the Golden Globes 2023

One of the great returns of the entertainment industry in this 2022, has been that of brendan fraser. After a few years playing roles of a discreet profile, the renowned actor is once again placed in the orbit of the great luminaries of Hollywood thanks to his leading role in The Whale by Darren Aronofsky.

And it is that if we take stock of what the film has caused in the conversation of specialized critics, the film practically emerges as one of the great favorites for take any number of nominations and statuettes in the awards season.

However, facing what could come in terms of awards, Brendan himself has been very clear that the Golden Globes are not in his priority no way.

Brendan Fraser says he won’t attend the 2023 Golden Globes

In a recent interview with GQ magazine, brendan fraser He spoke a little about those years in which, in the eyes of the world in general, he was hidden from the big reflectors. Although it is not like he has completely disappeared (as we said, he has done lower profile roles than we know him), the actor is emphatic and in this talk he mentions that understands perfectly why the perception that he was absent.

But one of the most striking things in the talk is the part in which the interviewer Zach Baron asks him about the next awards season, where many already place him as the big favorite in the category of Best Actor at the Oscars. Of course, before, as usually happens every year, one of the parameters towards the maximum film ceremony are the Golden Globes… and there, Brendan prefers to put land in the middle.

“I have more history with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) than respect for them”Brendan Fraser told GQ, alluding to the fact that he does not hold any kind of esteem or consideration for the organization that organizes the Golden Globes.

“No, I will not participate… It is because of the history I have with them. And my mother did not raise a hypocrite. You can call me many things, but not that”added the actor making it clear that even if he won a nomination for The Whale in this award, he does not intend to attend the ceremony that will take place on January 10, 2023.

You can also read: How Brendan Fraser’s life made him the one for Darren Aronofsky’s ‘The Whale’?

Fraser’s unfortunate experience with an HFPA executive

The statements of brendan fraser they are not fortuitous and have an important background to emphasize. It was in 2018, also in a talk for GQ, that she spoke publicly for the first time about an unfortunate meeting with a top executive of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the aforementioned organizers of the Golden Globes. that person was Philip Berck.

It turns out that at a dinner organized by the HFPA in 2003, Fraser met Berk, they greeted each other and the latter pinched the actor on the buttocks. The now former president of the HFPA mentioned at the time that he had done it as a joke, but Brendan says that there was more than just a bad joke.

“His left hand reaches out, grabs my buttock and one of his fingers touches me… and he begins to move it. I felt sick. I felt like a little kid. I felt like there was a ball in my throat. i thought i was going to cry…”recounted the actor The Mummy in that article from four years ago.

Following the public complaint, an investigation was opened in which the Hollywood Foreign Press Association condemned the acts of harassment, but the organization did not seem convinced at first instance to take action against its member, Philip Berk.

It is said that the HFPA even tried to conciliate the case and release one more statement that would say something like: “Although it was concluded that Mr. Berk inappropriately touched Mr. Fraser, the evidence supports that it was intended as a joke and not a sexual advance”. For this, they needed the consent of Brendan Fraser, who finally refused to sign the announcement in favor of his own integrity.

Unfortunately, Philip Berk continued as a member of the Association for a few more years. after that revelation. This, at least until the HFPA bubble of controversy burst with the 2021 Los Angeles Times article criticizing the lack of voters and Afro-descendant representation within the organization. After the latter, it went into a tailspin losing partners, support from the most important studios in the industry and from acting figures, and We even witnessed an edition of the award ceremony in 2022 that was not even televised.

Now, the HFPA has undergone a reformation of its voting members and top brass after the avalanche that hit them. Berk, by the way, is no longer part of the Association. And it is fair to say, the testimony of Brendan Fraser is also part of these complaints In short, they help to clarify the mismanagement of this type of powerful organizations.

And well, what remains for us from now on is to see if the actor manages to achieve the Oscar that critics and the public want him to win. The Whale. He deserves it, without a doubt.

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