In an interview with GQ, Brendan Fraser alleged that Philip Berk, former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), groped him. Berk has repeatedly claimed that all he did was jokingly pinch Fraser's butt. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Berk tells the magazine the HFPA never retaliated against Fraser: His career declined through no fault of ours., Am I still frightened? Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/REX/Shutterstock. I was blaming myself and I was miserablebecause I was saying, This is nothing; this guy reached around and he copped a feel. That summer wore onand I cant remember what I went on to work on next.. 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.". The allegation comes in a current GQ profile of Fraser titled What Ever Happened to Brendan Fraser?. You have reached your limit of 4 free articles. In a new GQ profile titled What Ever Happened To Brendan Fraser?,the actor remembers being groped byPhilip Berk in the summer of 2003. 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. Meher Tatna is president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which created the Golden Globe Awards in 1944. . In May 2021, NBC announced that it wouldn't be broadcasting the following year's Golden Globe Awards (via USA Today). In 2014, former HFPA president Philip Berk revealed in his memoir that Nicole Kidman received a nomination for "Billy Bathgate" because she did a HFPA interview, while her co-star, Dustin Hoffman, did not and received no nomination as a result. Then, Fraser said, Berk groped him. I think it was. We ask the experts. 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Varietyadds that there's infighting among active HFPA members in terms of "how to reform and how to respond to its critics. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has announced the re-election of Helen Hoehne to another term as president.According to the HFPA's press release, Hoehne won by "an overwhelming margin." Soon after NBC decided to cancel the 2022 broadcast of the Golden Globe Awards, actor Tom Cruise joined the boycott. A comprehensive 2016 study by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission found that some 75 percent of U.S. survivors of workplace harassment experienced retaliation when they spoke up about their experiences, with male-dominated and service-oriented industries as some of the biggest hotbeds of workplace injustice. I dont know if this curried disfavor with the group, with the HFPA. And HFPA has stated that their payments are "vetted by a professional nonprofit compensation consultant and outside counsel, where appropriate. "), Letter aside, Fraser said, the experience "made me retreat. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is a group of just 87 critics, and the LA Times report said the group has no Black voting members. Get the best of Fox News' entertainment coverage, right in your inbox. Absolutely. September 8, 2021 4:57pm Courtesy HFPA Fighting to stay alive, the beleaguered Hollywood Foreign Press Association has elected a nearly 20-year veteran to lead the group into what may or may. (This letter was referred to in a 2005 New York Times story that read in part, "Mr. Berk wrote a letter of apology to the actor Brendan Fraser for having grabbed the actor's buttocks during a ceremony to announce a charitable contribution, though Mr. Berk said in an interview that he did no such thing and wrote the letter only to mollify the actor. 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'm humbled to be elected by my peers and colleagues here at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and. 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. Fraser also shared his belief that he may have been blacklisted by the HFPA after the incident and that his career may have suffered as a result. "I'm the only one who would know where I was touched on my body," he said to GQ. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Screenrant reports that WarnerMedia also joined the boycott and in their official press release, "called the HFPA out for a history of sexist, racist, and homophobic questions directed at actors and creatives at past press events.". ", In May 2021, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association responded to the various critiques levied at them by announcing that they were going to be implementing "radical reform." Then he went home and told his wife. However, he said the note did not admit anything. (Berk denies that the HFPA retaliated against Fraser, telling GQ, His career declined through no fault of ours). The 2003 Iraq War resulted in some 200,000 to 250,000 civilian deaths, including over 16,000 directly killed by the U.S. military, and left more than a million homeless.The United States has created 37 million refugees around the world. He believes it's partly why his career derailed, and said: "The phone does stop ringing in your career, and you start asking yourself why. After the 2003 luncheon, Frasers representatives asked the HFPA for an apology, and Berk confirmed to GQ that he did write one. Have I stopped myself? ", 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. And he starts moving it around, Fraser told GQ. "His left hand reaches around, grabs my ass cheek, and one of his fingers touches me in the taint," Fraser told GQ. Since 2012, the number of Syrian refugees alone has increased tenfold. Brendan Fraser says the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which runs the Golden Globes, pressured him to downplay his allegation that its former president, Philip Berk, groped him in 2003. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. My apology admitted no wrongdoing, the usual If Ive done anything that upset Mr. Fraser, it was not intended and I apologize, he told the magazine. The group even adopted the motto, "Unity without discrimination of religion or race," according to Hollywood Foreign Press Association: A History. Fighting to stay alive, the beleaguered Hollywood Foreign Press Association has elected a nearly 20-year veteran to lead the group into what may or may not be better days. HOLLYWOOD, CA Lorenzo Soria, president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association which presents the Golden Globes each year, died at age 68 on Friday. However some, like Alexander Nevsky, joined because they were "just plain curious.". In a group email with HFPA members, Berk reportedly. Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Send us a tip using our annonymous form. The alleged groping occurred at the Beverly Hills Hotel. He did have his reps ask the HFPA for a written apology, telling GQ that the HFPA agreed they would never allow Berk in a room with Fraser again. An investigation by the Los Angeles Times in February 2021 revealed that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association pays out almost $2 million to its members annually. Market data provided by Factset. Absolutely," Fraser said in the interview. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. And he starts moving it around. 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Related Previously on the HFPAs Board of Directors from 2012-19, frequent German TV contributor Hoehne is one of the current board members. Fraser, who came forward in February to accuse Berk of sexual misconduct, talked to GQ magazine about his sexual harassment claim with the HFPA. Do I feel like I need to say something? Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. In the summer of 2003, then-president Philip Berk groped Brendan Fraser at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Please enter valid email address to continue. Fraser can be seen asJames Fletcher Chace in Danny Boyles FX series Trust, which debuts March 25. Berk, who is still a member of the HFPA, also did not immediately respond to PEOPLEs request for comment but has denied the assault ever happened to The New York Times. "I felt ill. 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. With less than 100 members, HFPA accepts less than five new members every year, and "any member can veto a newcomer's application in voting done by secret ballot," reports The Washington Post. The 49-year-old Fraser told GQ about the alleged incident at a 2003 luncheon in the Beverly Hills Hotel. Berk, no longer president of the HFPA but still a member, told GQ Fraser'sversion of events "is a total fabrication.. or redistributed. Fraser described in aninterview with GQthe moment that "overcame him with panic and fear.". Scott. This announcement came at the heels of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's (HFPA) inability to come up with adequate reforms to address the various criticisms levied at the organization. We've shared the results of that investigation with Mr. Fraser, and again apologized, but also conveyed our need to abide by the investigation's finding that the exchange was not an intended sexual advance. Winners included Paul Lukas, Jennifer Jones, and the film "The Song of Bernadette." Fraser, for his part, told the magazine he decided not to go public with his story because he was afraid of "it becoming part of my narrative." / CBS News. 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.. Oscars 2023: Best Makeup and Hairstyling Predictions In a recent statement with GQ, Berk called Fraser's story "a total fabrication." I didnt want to contend with how that made me feel, or it becoming part of my narrative. "His left hand reaches around, grabs my a** cheek, and one of his fingers touches me in the taint," said Fraser. . In 1943, actress Argentina Brunetti and her husband Miro Brunetti, a foreign correspondent, co-founded the Hollywood Foreign Correspondents Association, which was renamed the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in 1954 (via Golden Globes). president criticizing Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors and likening BLM to a hate group . Fraser then said he removed Berks hand and immediately left the event. Berk wrote in his memoir that he did so in jest, but Fraser remembers the incident much differently. Fraser went home and told his then-wife, Afton Smith,what happened. All Rights Reserved. Fraser said the incident led to him becoming depressed and messed with his sense of who I was and what I was doing. He also said it affected the trajectory of his career. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! I haven't spoken to them in years, but they're my friends. All rights reserved, UN Report: How Florida is Fueling Haiti's Arms Trafficking Crisis, Philippine Provincial Governor Shot Dead by Gunmen While Meeting Villagers, Pa. Woman Went Missing in 1992 and Declared Dead. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the group behind the Golden Globes, has approved a new set of bylaws, in an effort to remedy the diversity and ethical issues that sparked. He said he asked for a written apology and that the HFPA set an agreement to never allow Fraser or Berk to be together in the same room again. IE 11 is not supported. ", "Am I still frightened? The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) on Sunday announced the winners of the 79th Annual Golden Globe Awards, from the Beverly Hilton. Fraser revealed the alleged abuse in 2018,. "If I've done anything that upset Mr. Fraser, it was not intended," he said in the statement. 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. Soria died Friday at his home in Los Angeles, according. I felt ill, he said, recalling his emotions after he removed Berks hand. Absolutely. Brendan Fraser became the latest actor to speak out about his own #MeToo experience this week as Hollywood continues to address its problems with sexual assault and harassment. Members ended up returning the watches in response to the criticism regarding the gifts, while USA Films claimed that "the studio got the watches for free and didn't realize how expensive they were.". Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy. However, the network added that "assuming the organization executes on its plan, we are hopeful we will be in a position to air the show in January 2023.". I was blaming myself and I was miserablebecause I was saying, This is nothing; this guy reached around and he copped a feel. That summer wore onand I cant remember what I went on to work on next., Fraser says the experience made me retreat. There was also an incident in 1999, when HFPA members were gifted $400 Coach watches by USA Films. In recounting this incident to GQ, Fraser stated that "his left hand reaches around, grabs my a** cheek, and one of his fingers touches me And he starts moving it around." However it's possible that this might send a message to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, especially since Cruise isn't known for protests, while HFPA is known for monopolizing the time of leading entertainers. Have I stopped myself? LOS ANGELES - The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which hosts the Golden Globes, is under fire after a former president of the organization sent an anti-Black Lives Matter email. History and future met for a close-up on Sept. 15 in the newly dedicated Hollywood Foreign Press Association wing of California State University, Northridge's Manzanita Hall. I felt like there was a ball in my throat. Magazines, Or create a free account to access more articles, Brendan Fraser Says Former Hollywood Foreign Press Association President Assaulted Him. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the 87-member organization that presents the Golden Globe Awards, issued a statement Saturday in response to increasing criticism concerning its lack of . Magazines, Digital I thought I was going to cry. Brendan Fraser is the latest actor to come forward with his story of sexual assault in the wake of the #MeToo and Times Up movements. In February 2021, the Los Angeles Times revealed that among the almost 90 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, there are no Black members, despite the group's own motto being "Unity without discrimination of religion or race." The Los Angeles Times reports that the email was sent to everyone in the HFPA, including its "members, its staff and the group's general counsel and chief operating officer." This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. In addition to setting up a hotline to report violations, the HFPA planned to increase membership over the course of 18 months, in addition to "creating a list of [Diversity, Equity and Inclusion] consultants.". Lorenzo Soria (27 November 1951 - 7 August 2020) was an Argentine-Italian journalist and executive who served as the president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for three terms. Golden Globes voters in tumult: Members accuse Hollywood Foreign Press Assn.