Brendan Fraser won’t attend Golden Globes if nominated for ‘The Whale’

Brendan Fraser has stated his intent to boycott the 2023 Golden Globes, should he be nominated for his performance in The Whale.

In a new interview with GQ, Fraser, who is receiving career-best reviews for his turn in Darren Aronofsky’s new film, said he would not attend the event due to his history with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organisation behind the Globes.

READ MORE: ‘The Whale’ review: Brendan Fraser shines but this is clumsy at best

“I have more history with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association than I have respect for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association,” he said, before adding: “No, I will not participate.”

Asked for his reasoning, the actor replied: “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.”

In 2018, Fraser made headlines for another GQ interview, in which he accused Philip Berk, a former president and member of the HFPA, of groping and assaulting him in 2003. Berk insisted he did nothing wrong and called Fraser’s description of events a “total fabrication”.

Following publication of the article, the HFPA said in a statement: “The HFPA stands firmly against sexual harassment and the type of behavior described in this article.”

In his latest GQ profile, Fraser said that the HFPA eventually came back to him with a proposed joint statement, which allegedly read, per the actor: “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 refused to sign off on the statement.

“I knew they would close ranks,” Fraser said of the HFPA. “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.”

Fraser went on to discuss the outpouring of love and support he received following the article’s release.

Since then, he has been overwhelmed by the reaction to his performance in The Whale, and was visibly emotional after receiving standing ovations at both the London and Venice Film Festival.

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