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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. LOS ANGELES Brendan Fraser is joining the #MeToo movement, coming forward on Thursday with allegations of sexual assault by an ex-president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. However, the first awards show wasn't the glitz and glamor that it would become. Shonda Rhimes, producer of the show "Bridgerton," even noted that HFPA rejected their press conference until the show became a "surprise hit. [Work] withered on the vine for me. And as soon as the HFPA had done the bare minimum, they were back in NBC's good graces. 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. I felt like there was a ball in my throat. On May 10, 2021, it seemed like the industry heads were taking note when NBC announced that they wouldn't be broadcasting the 2022 Golden Globe Awards. Influencers: Profiles of a Partnership 2022, How to Pitch Stories and Articles to IndieWire, Leslie Grace Disagrees with Claim 'Batgirl' Was 'Unreleasable': There Was 'Potential for a Good Film', Brendan Fraser Says Lost Superman Role Would've Been 'Faustian Bargain' Anyway: 'I'm Not a One-Trick Pony', Oscars 2023: Best Makeup and Hairstyling Predictions, From 'Nymphomaniac' to 'Little Ashes': Unsimulated Sex Scenes in 36 Films. Out in the cold with the likes of Netflix, Amazon, WarnerMedia and other studios and networks, plus essentially boycotted by top flacks and hence their top-tier clients, the HFPAs new president plans to begin a charm offensive to convince Hollywood stakeholders that things trulyhave changed for the better at the organization. I thought I was going to cry, he told the magazine. The Time's Up organization, as well as numerous entertainers and PR firms, expressed dissatisfaction with the proposed reforms, stating that "the HFPA's list of recommendations largely contains no specifics [and] no commitments to real accountability or change,"writes The Hollywood Reporter. By subscribing, I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. 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." I didnt want to contend with how that made me feel, or it becoming part of my narrative, he told GQ. 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." All Rights Reserved. Fraser said that at the time, he panicked: "I felt ill. Signup for Breaking News Alerts & Newsletters. retailers. 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. From 'Nymphomaniac' to 'Little Ashes': Unsimulated Sex Scenes in 36 Films, I didnt want to contend with how that made me feel, or it becoming part of my narrative, Fraser said. 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." A cause of. Am I still frightened? The alleged incident left Fraser overcome with panic and fear. Lorenzo Soria has been re-elected president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for the 2016-2017 year. 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. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Fraser's story is a reminder that while sexual misconduct is disproportionately experienced by women, it can happen to anyone, regardless of gender or sexuality. And he starts moving it around. Fraser also wondered if the HFPA had blacklisted him. 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 . In an interview with GQ, he confessed, "His left hand reaches around, grabs my a** cheek, and one of his fingers touches me in the taint. Fraser then said he removed Berks hand and immediately left the event. of self-dealing, ethical lapses. "Do I feel like I need to say something? "I felt ill. The organization drew widespread criticism for this year's slate of . 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. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. ", In an email to GQ, Berk denied these claims, reportedly writing, "Mr. Fraser's version is a total fabrication." I felt like there was a ball in my throat. Berk wrote in his memoir that he did so in jest, but Fraser remembers the incident much differently. Absolutely," he said. 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. Meher Tatna is president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which created the Golden Globe Awards in 1944. . 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. During a recent appearance on Howard Stern's SiriusXM talk show, Brendan Fraser continued to diss the Golden Globes. Do I feel like I need to say something? It will be his second straight year as head of the organization. 01:57. Absolutely., Berk responded to Frasers story by telling GQ it is a total fabrication. He admitted to writing a letter to Fraser about the incident but said his apology admitted no wrongdoing.. president criticizing Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors and likening BLM to a hate group . The HFPA investigated the accusation, but Fraser said the organization declined to share the full results of their investigation with him. Actual trophies wouldn't be given until the third annual Golden Globe Awards. However, in an official statement Friday the HFPA stated that "the report included alleged information that the association had previously been unaware of" and that it "stands firmly against sexual harassmentand type of behavior described in this article.". Brendan Fraser is the latest actor to come forward with his story of sexual assault in the wake of the #MeToo and Times Up movement. He claims in 2003, he was sexually assaulted by Hollywood Foreign Press Association president Philip Berk. Previously on the HFPAs Board of Directors from 2012-19, frequent German TV contributor Hoehne is one of the current board members. Get The Latest IndieWire Alerts And Newsletters Delivered Directly To Your Inbox. But when they first organized, they still weren't taken too seriously, and mostly all they did was "meet at various members' homes to share information." I thought I was going to cry. 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. Berk reached out to shake The Mummy actor's hand. In 2003 he began researching the business case for climate action for the . Fraser described in aninterview with GQthe moment that "overcame him with panic and fear.". Berk was the president of theHollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization behind the Golden Globe Awards. I felt ill. For transparencys sake, along with Hoehne, the current HFPA board includes Gabriel Lerman, Sabrina Joshi, Yukiko Nakajima, Scott Orlin, Kirpi Uimonen, Henry Arnaud, Barbara de Oliveira Pinto, Barbara Gasser, Tina Johnk Christensen, Greet Ramaekers and Armando Gallo. For the HFPA, the Golden Globe Awards were meant to be a way to "boost their profile." Absolutely. 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. Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/REX/Shutterstock. After the 2003 luncheon, Frasers representatives asked the HFPA for an apology, and Berk confirmed to GQ that he did write one. I felt like there was a ball in my throat. HFPA President Lorenzo Soria expressed his enthusiasm and hopes for what the grant bestowed upon CSUN will bring. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! But the question now is whether or not this is the sound of HFPA's death rattle. 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. Fraser's account is disconcertingly reminiscent of reports from women in Hollywood who have spoken out about experiencing professional retaliation after being harassed or assaulted. Absolutely. April 19, 2021 3:30 PM PT. (Berk denies that the HFPA retaliated against Fraser, telling GQ, His career declined through no fault of ours). In response, both MRC and NBC, both of which are involved in the production and broadcasting of the Golden Globe Awards, demanded Berk's expulsion from the HFPA, and two days after sending the email Berk was removed from the HFPA after 44 years of membership. Former HFPA president Phillip Berk. Philip Berk, 88, had been a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) for 44 years and its president for eight years. Anne Thompson "I felt ill," Fraser said. In addition to recognizing 2021's best in film and . 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. Allure may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with I just know what my truth is.". (Reps for Fraser and the HFPA did not immediately respond to PEOPLEs request for comment). I thought I was going to cry., After immediately leaving the luncheon, Fraser told his wife of the interaction but otherwise remained silent for fear of embarrassment and career damage. Fraser alleged in an interview with GQ magazine that former Hollywood Foreign Press Association president Philip Berk intimately groped him. 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. (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. Still, for all the moves to bring in new members, diversity advisers, potential new leadership and administrators like an actual CEO, CFO, Chief Human Resource Officer and Chief Diversity Officer, the fact is that power player General Counsel/Chief Operating Officer George Goeckner remains firmly in place at the HFPA at least for now. "), Letter aside, Fraser said, the experience "made me retreat. 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. "Am I still frightened? I felt like a little kid. Have I wanted to many, many times? Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Since May, members have shown their commitment to creating a reimagined HFPA. NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 14: Brendan Fraser attends AOL Build to discuss his role in 'The Affair' at AOL HQ on December 14, 2016 in New York City. 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. Is nose swelling like this normal? According to the Los Angeles Times, NBC also dropped the Golden Globe Awards in 1968, after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) found that the awards show "substantially misleads the public as to how the winners were chosen and the procedures followed in choosing them." Brendan Fraser was sexually assaulted in 2003 by Phil Berk, the former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization that hosts the Golden Globes. With a group of 21 other journalists, their hope was to pool their knowledge and "formalize their relationship with the studios" in the hopes of making it easier to work on film journalism. 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. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. I haven't spoken to them in years, but they're my friends. The 49-year-old Fraser told GQ about the alleged incident at a 2003 luncheon in the Beverly Hills Hotel. In a recent statement with GQ, Berk called Fraser's story "a total fabrication." "Pregnancy Nose" Reveals Are Sweeping TikTok. 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Miller Denies Allegation He Sexually Assaulted and Punched Woman While in College. There's many reasons, but was this one of them? Absolutely., In the article, Berk says he wrote a letter to Fraser about the incident but admitted no wrongdoing.. My apology admitted no wrongdoing, the usual If Ive done anything that upset Mr. Fraser, it was not intended and I apologize., In his 2014 memoir With Signs and Wonders: My Journey from Darkest Africa to the Bright Lights of Hollywood, Berk recounted the incident too saying he pinched Frasiers ass in jest., RELATED VIDEO: Women of Hollywood Attend Golden Globes Together in Support of the Times Up Movement, While other factors contributed to the downward momentum of his career, Fraser tells GQ that his alleged experience with Berk made [him] retreat and feel reclusive., [I] became depressed, he said, recounting how he told himself he deserved what happened to him. In addition to a number of publicity firms, the American film production and distribution company Neon also joined the boycott. Deadline reports that in response to the cancellation, Cruise sent his three Golden Globe trophies back to the HFPA headquarters. An email sent Sunday by a former Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. What is unusual is a man publicly opening up about experiencing sexual harassment, which is one of the reasons Fraser's account is garnering so much attention. Brendan Fraser attends AOL Build to discuss his role in 'The Affair' at AOL HQ on Dec. 14, 2016 in New York City. Do I feel like I need to say something?