Brendan Fraser has been quiet for a long time. The actor has a career break, suffers from depression, which he says also has something to do with sexual coercion. The incident is also the reason why he is now staying away from the Golden Globes despite his phenomenal comeback with “The Whale”.
Brendan Fraser has already received numerous awards thanks to his performance in the drama “The Whale”, which received plenty of advance praise. Although the nominations for the upcoming Golden Globe Awards have not yet been announced on January 11, 2023 – this will not be announced until December 12, 2022. But it is certain that Fraser will also be one of the favorites in the race for the award for best actor there will go. Either way, he won’t be there at the Globes, as he revealed in the cover story of “GQ”.
“No, I will not take part,” the 53-year-old is quoted as saying in the detailed piece. The reasons for his early cancellation could hardly be more understandable: in 2018 he went public with the accusation that he was sexually assaulted in 2003 by Philip Berk, then president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), which hosts the Golden Globes had been molested.
“I have more history with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association than I have respect for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association,” Fraser said. The rejection is because of “this story I have with them. And my mother didn’t raise a hypocrite. You can call me many things, but not that.” In his eyes, it was significant that nothing happened after his allegations and that the Globes went on as usual.
Most recently, the HFPA was sharply criticized for other reasons: It became known that its members are made up entirely of white journalists. When asked if Fraser could believe in the reforms the organization claims to have enacted since then, he replied in the GQ article: “At this point in time – no.” His doubts about the credibility of these promises stem from the fact that the HFPA never sincerely apologized to him. He also knows that other people share similar fates in relation to the HFPA.
Despite everything, he will do everything to ensure that the drama “The Whale” by director Darren Aronofsky also clears the Globes. “I owe it to myself. I owe it to the filmmakers. I owe it to the fans who paid to see me and stood in line in the sun. I owe it to my kids. This is my big opportunity.”
“The Whale” celebrated its world premiere in Venice and its North American premiere in Toronto. At both locations, Fraser received a standing ovation and moved audiences to tears for his performance as a depressed, severely overweight English teacher. The film will be released in the USA later this year, and the German start date is April 27, 2023.
