Fraser alleged in an interview with GQ magazine that former Hollywood Foreign Press Association president Philip Berk intimately groped him. Berk was the president of theHollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization behind the Golden Globe Awards. 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. I didnt want to contend with how that made me feel, or it becoming part of my narrative, he added. Check out 100 years of eye looks: 2023 Cond Nast. The HFPA stands firmly against sexual harassment and the type of behavior described in this article, the associated said in an official statement. In the same interview, Fraser claimed that he was sexually assaulted by Philip Berk, a former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, in 2003. Brendan Fraser, who stars in "The Whale," claims former HFPA President Philip Berk sexually assaulted him in 2003. Peter Jackson seems to confirm Weinstein blacklisted Mira Sorvino, Ashley Judd. Absolutely. This is the shady truth about the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. All Rights Reserved. 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. In order to be considered, journalists are required to pay a $500 membership fee in addition to being based in Southern California while working for a foreign publication, publishing at least four articles a year. 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. "), Letter aside, Fraser said, the experience "made me retreat. There have also been numerous claims that voters are easily swayed. 2023 IndieWire Media, LLC. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our The star of the "The Mummy" trilogy and "George of the Jungle" is speaking out again after he told GQ earlier this year that Philip Berk, the former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, groped him at a 2003 luncheon in Beverly Hills. In addition to recognizing 2021's best in film and . And he starts moving it around. Fraser, through his representatives, asked the HFPA for an apology, which Berk says he wrote, but added: "My apology admitted no wrongdoing, the usual 'If I've done anything that upset Mr. Fraser, it was not intended and I apologize. But at the time, his reps did askthe HFPA for a written apology from Berk, and received one, though Berk says his apology admitted no wrongdoing. "I'm humbled to be elected by my peers and colleagues here at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and. User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and "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. In a recent statement with GQ, Berk called Fraser's story "a total fabrication." Fraser first revealed his #MeToo story in the February issue of GQ : In 2003, at a HFPA luncheon at the Beverly Hills Hotel, Fraser said Berk reached out to shake his hand but then proceeded to . Lorenzo Soria has been re-elected president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for the 2016-2017 year. 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. I thought I was going to cry," Fraser said. You will be redirected back to your article in, Ariana DeBose Gets The Last Laugh On Her BAFTAs Rap, Tom Sizemore Dies: 'Saving Private Ryan' & 'Black Hawk Down' Star Was 61; Reactions + Career In Photos, Bill Maher Predicts Joe Biden Beats Donald Trump In 2024 Match Up; HBO Host Center Stage As CNN Launches New 9 PM Strategy, Marilyn Manson Rape Accuser Pressured To Recant Claims, Evan Rachel Wood Asserts; Judge Rejects Singers Attempt To Add New Declaration To Case Against Westworld Actress, WGA Plans Showrunner Meetings This Week In Advance Of AMPTP Negotiations, Rachael Ray Daytime Talk Show To End After 17 Seasons, Eyes $51M+ Opening In U.S., A Record For Rocky Spinoff Franchise & Amazon, SAG-AFTRA And Casting Directors Weigh In On Self-Tape Controversy, Oscar Winner Guillermo Del Toro On The Films That Lit His Fuse. Berk reached out to shake The Mummy actor's hand. 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.". She Was Just Found in Puerto Rico, Driver, Passenger Suffer Life-Threatening Injuries After Crash Shuts Down Lake Murray Boulevard in La Mesa, San Diego Lands on Top 20 List of Happiest Places to Live,' Other San Diego Cities on List. ", However, as the Los Angeles Times investigation notes, these payments may go beyond what is reasonable. A new profile of Fraser by GQ asks the same question, and adds more context to the answer: In an interview with the magazine, Fraser spoke publicly for the first time about his experience of sexual assault, alleging that he was groped by former Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) president Philip Berk in the summer of 2003. 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. The actor believes one of the reasons his career hit a standstill was because of an alleged incident with Philip Berk, a former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which hosts the Golden Globes. 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. Oscars 2023: Best Makeup and Hairstyling Predictions A cause of. ", 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. Absolutely, he tells GQ. And despite having several former and active members who are people of color, according to Variety, the organization hasn't had a Black member since 2002. 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.". Actor Brendan Fraser accused the former president of theHollywood Foreign Press Association of sexually assaulting him in 2003, the latest in a string of people to speak out in the #MeToo and Times Up movements. Philip Berk, a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for the past 44 years and an eight-term past president of the group behind the Golden Globe Awards, has been expelled from . But the question now is whether or not this is the sound of HFPA's death rattle. 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." I felt ill. According to the BBC, Berk "forwarded it as a point of information," though after seeing the consequences of his actions Berk later said that he "regretted sending the email.". I felt like there was a ball in my throat. Get the latest hollywood foreign press association news, articles, videos and photos on the New York Post. Meher Tatna is president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which created the Golden Globe Awards in 1944. . (Reps for Fraser and the HFPA did not immediately respond to PEOPLEs request for comment). Golden Globes voters in tumult: Members accuse Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. Fraser also wondered if the HFPA had blacklisted him. In the interview, Fraser said that at an HFPA luncheon at the Beverly Hills Hotel, Berk reached out his hand to shake Fraser's, then went much further. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association ( HFPA) addressed their controversial diversity issue, namely the fact that the organization currently has no Black members, during Sunday night's. I just know what my truth is.". The story he wants to relay took place, he says, in the summer of 2003, in the Beverly Hills Hotel, at a luncheon held by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization that hosts the . Have I stopped myself? I felt ill, he said, recalling his emotions after he removed Berks hand. He was a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association since 1989 and served in the administration for 25 years he formerly held the position of president from 2003-2005 and 2015-2017. Among those efforts, transparency seems to be the major buzzword for now, I hear. 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. All rights reserved. president criticizing Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors and likening BLM to a hate group . That last bit is, of course, the trial balloon in what the HFPA hopes will be clearer skies now that it has passed a series of bylaws and other much-needed reforms. 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. And HFPA has stated that their payments are "vetted by a professional nonprofit compensation consultant and outside counsel, where appropriate. 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. Former HFPA president Phillip Berk. Even after speaking about his allegations, Fraser still feels uneasy. ", Related: Peter Jackson seems to confirm Weinstein blacklisted Mira Sorvino, Ashley Judd, Fraser added that he was emboldened to come forward by the #MeToo and Time's Up movements, saying: "I know Rose [McGowan], I know Ashley [Judd], I know Mira [Sorvino] I've worked with them. 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. His left hand reaches around, grabs my ass cheek, and one of his fingers touches me in the taint. 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Fraser also shared that he wonders if the HFPA retaliated against him after the incident by depriving him of Golden Globes invitations or other professional opportunities. 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. Legal Statement. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. In March 2021, the HFPA responded to the criticism by pledging to "increase membership to a minimum of 100 members this year, with a requirement that at least 13 percent of the membership be Black journalists," writes The Wrap. Related Fraser told GQ that he was overcome by panic and fear in the moment. This Article is related to: Film and tagged Brendan Fraser, Sexual Harassment. Between 2002 and 2018, only five Golden Globe Awards had at least one BIPOC acting winner. That's when they came up with the idea for the Golden Globe Awards. Absolutely. In February, Fraser told GQ that in 2003, as he was leaving a luncheon held by the HFPA at the Beverly Hills Hotel, Berk stopped him and shook his hand. Over the years weve continued a positive working relationship with Brendan, which includes announcing Golden Globe nominees, attending the ceremony and participating in press conferences. Fraser described in aninterview with GQthe moment that "overcame him with panic and fear.". But now that PR firms and entertainers are also standing up and voicing their disapproval with the organization, the tide may be turning for the HFPA. Actress Mira Sorvino, for instance, said recently that after being sexually harassed by disgraced former studio head Harvey Weinstein, she was relegated to "the fringes of the Miramax family"; director Peter Jackson even admitted that he blacklisted both Sorvino and actress Ashley Judd, who also has spoken out about being harassed by Weinstein, after Weinstein gave Jackson "false information" about the two actresses. 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 . The HFPA said in a statement to GQ, "We conducted an internal review and then took it upon ourselves to commission an independent investigation into the matter to ensure impartiality. Brendan Fraser (left) accused former Hollywood Foreign Press President Philip Berk of groping him in 2003. 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. 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. In an interview with GQ published Thursday, Fraser said that he was groped in 2003 by Philip Berk, a former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the organization that hosts the Golden Globes. Fraser didn't attend this year's Golden Globes, despite being nominated . Berk says he just "pinched" the actor. Throughout its history, the HFPA membership has never gone over 100, and as of May 2021 there are 86 members. 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 . Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Through his reps, Fraser did request a written apology from the HFPA, and Berk told GQ that he did write Fraser a letter but never admitted any wrongdoing. Fraser revealed the alleged abuse in 2018,. Berk wrote in his memoir that he did so in jest, but Fraser remembers the incident much differently. The crisis-plagued Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the body that organises the Golden Globes, has expelled Philip Berk, its former president who sparked widespread outrage by sharing . Shonda Rhimes, producer of the show "Bridgerton," even noted that HFPA rejected their press conference until the show became a "surprise hit. Berk, who is still a member of the HFPA, told the magazine that Frasers version of events is a total fabrication and has previously denied grabbing the actor to the New York Times. 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.