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Ever Wonder What Happened to Brendan Fraser? It's a Lot Darker Than We Thought

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In the wake of the Me Too movement that has swept across Hollywood, Brendan Fraser is the latest actor to share his story of sexual assault.

“The Mummy” star told GQ that Philip Berk, a former president of Hollywood Foreign Press Association, had groped him at a luncheon held by the HFPA in the summer of 2003.

As GQ noted, Berk wrote in his memoir that he pinched Fraser’s buttocks in jest, but Fraser said it was more than that.

“His left hand reaches around, grabs my a– cheek, and one of his fingers touches me in the taint,” Fraser said. “And he starts moving it around.”

He added that he was overcome with panic and fear, but eventually removed Berk’s hand.

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“I felt ill. I felt like a little kid. I felt like there was a ball in my throat. I thought I was going to cry.”

Fraser left the luncheon and went home to tell his then-wife Afton Smith.

Berk, no longer the president of HFPA, told GQ in an email that, “Mr. Fraser’s version is total fabrication.”

At the time, Fraser thought about making his allegations public.

Do you think Brendan Fraser deserves an apology?

“I didn’t want to contend with how that made me feel, or it becoming part of my narrative,” he said, but admitted the memory stuck with him.

Fraser’s representatives did ask for an apology, and Berk responded without admitting any wrongdoing. He merely said “the usual ‘If I’ve done anything that upset Mr. Fraser, it was not intended and I apologize.'”

Fraser told GQ that the experience “made me retreat. It made me feel reclusive.” He even wondered if the HFPA had blacklisted him since he was rarely invited to the Golden Globes after 2003.

Work “withered on the vine for me. In my mind, at least, something had been taken away from me,” he said.

“His career declined through no fault of ours,” Berk responded.

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Fraser is not the only actor who thinks Berk blacklisted him from the Golden Globes.

James Woods said that he was blacklisted after he said that he would not “support Hillary Clinton if she ever ran for president.”


He clarified that Berk “was never physically ‘sketchy’ with me in any way similar to that alleged by Brendan Fraser in GQ.”

“Final note: I’m so glad Brendan Fraser is back entertaining us. I’m a big fan,” Woods concluded.

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Erin Coates was an editor for The Western Journal for over two years before becoming a news writer. A University of Oregon graduate, Erin has conducted research in data journalism and contributed to various publications as a writer and editor.
Erin Coates was an editor for The Western Journal for over two years before becoming a news writer. She grew up in San Diego, California, proceeding to attend the University of Oregon and graduate with honors holding a degree in journalism. During her time in Oregon, Erin was an associate editor for Ethos Magazine and a freelance writer for Eugene Magazine. She has conducted research in data journalism, which has been published in the book “Data Journalism: Past, Present and Future.” Erin is an avid runner with a heart for encouraging young girls and has served as a coach for the organization Girls on the Run. As a writer and editor, Erin strives to promote social dialogue and tell the story of those around her.
Birthplace
Tucson, Arizona
Nationality
American
Honors/Awards
Graduated with Honors
Education
Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, University of Oregon
Books Written
Contributor for Data Journalism: Past, Present and Future
Location
Prescott, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English, French
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Health, Entertainment, Faith




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