According to The New York Times, as a tax-exempt non-profit, "payments to members for their work for the organization are legal as long as they are considered reasonable." In response, entertainers have also stated that they will "refrain from any HFPA sanctioned events." I felt like a little kid. All Rights Reserved. Ex-President of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association - Jezebel 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. 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. Berk has repeatedly claimed that all he did was jokingly pinch Fraser's butt. ", In an email to GQ, Berk denied these claims, reportedly writing, "Mr. Fraser's version is a total fabrication." Up to 100 PR firms also indicated that they were disappointed with the HFPA's lack of commitment to "transformational change. 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, 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." Brendan Fraser (left) accused former Hollywood Foreign Press President Philip Berk of groping him in 2003. Then, he said, the HFPA asked him to sign a joint statement saying the investigation found that Berk touched Fraser inappropriately but "the evidence supports that it was intended to be taken as a joke and not as a sexual advance.". In an interview with GQ, Brendan Fraser alleged that Philip Berk, former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), groped him. Active members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association vote for the Golden Globe Awards, which means that "the Globes are overseen by an extremely small number of people," considering that in comparison, the Academy Awards are voted on by over 9,000 people. I felt like there was a ball in my throat. Legal Statement. Brendan Fraser accuses former head of Hollywood Foreign Press Market data provided by Factset. 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. 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. And he starts moving it around. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. According to Fraser, though, it wasn't a joke, and he was overcome with fear and had to remove Berk's hand. In a new GQ profile titled What Ever Happened To Brendan Fraser?,the actor remembers being groped byPhilip Berk in the summer of 2003. Throughout its history, the HFPA membership has never gone over 100, and as of May 2021 there are 86 members. In 2020, Norwegian entertainment journalist Kjersti Flaa sued the Hollywood Foreign Press Association after she was denied membership into the group. Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. Among those efforts, transparency seems to be the major buzzword for now, I hear. Philip Berk Wiki: Who Is Hollywood Star Brendan Fraser's Alleged Abuser? I felt ill. Do I feel like I need to say something? Magazines, Or create a free account to access more articles, Brendan Fraser Says Former Hollywood Foreign Press Association President Assaulted Him. . I felt ill. HFPA Elects Helen Hoehne As President As Board Promises Reforms - Deadline And he starts moving it around, Fraser told the magazine, recalling becomingovercome with panic and fear. 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. The Hollywood Foreign Press Commits to Reform: Will It Be Enough? Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. '", Berk, who took a six-month leave of absence from the HFPA in April 2014 following backlash from his memoir but is still a member, denied the claim in an e-mail to GQ, saying: "Mr. Fraser's version is a total fabrication.". An email sent Sunday by a former Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. 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. Fraser also surmised his career may have suffered . Hollywood Foreign Press Association under fire after former president But his career has noticeably waned over the past decade, leading journalists and commenters to ask multiple variations of the same question: What happened to Brendan Fraser? Phil Berk is no longer a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association," the HFPA board added in a statement released yesterday (April 20). 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). CBS reports that in 2018, Fraser even asked to see the investigation's full report so he'd "know what I'm signing off on," but the HFPA has repeatedly refused to share its report. or redistributed. And after being broadcast on the radio for 14 years, on February 26, 1958, the Golden Globe Awards were televised for the first time. Hollywood Foreign Press Association Wing Dedicated With Stories of We want to hear from you! "If I've done anything that upset Mr. Fraser, it was not intended," he said in the statement. The HFPA said that it is investigating further details surrounding the incident. The actor said he refused to sign, because he "didn't get the joke." Brendan Fraser claims he was groped in 2003 by Philip Berk, then president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, an experience Fraser says left him depressed and miserable. His left hand reaches around, grabs my ass cheek, and one of his fingers touches me in the taint. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. "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. According to Fraser, former HFPA President Phillip Berk assaulted him following a luncheon at the Beverly Hills Hotel. 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. There was also an incident in 1999, when HFPA members were gifted $400 Coach watches by USA Films. I call them friends in my mind. However some, like Alexander Nevsky, joined because they were "just plain curious.". ", "Am I still frightened? HFPA President Lorenzo Soria expressed his enthusiasm and hopes for what the grant bestowed upon CSUN will bring. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. I haven't spoken to them in years, but they're my friends. Brendan Fraser Says Former HFPA President Sexually Assaulted Him and Derailed His Career In an interview with GQ, Brendan Fraser claimed that former Hollywood Foreign Press Association. 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.". This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, In. Perhaps best known for starring as Rick O'Connell in The Mummy trilogy and the title character in 1997's George of the Jungle, actor Brendan Fraser was an omnipresent Hollywood fixture in the 1990s and the first half of the 2000s. 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. Have I stopped myself? This report includes alleged information that the HFPA was previously unaware of and at this time we are investigating further details surrounding the incident.". Anne Thompson The group even adopted the motto, "Unity without discrimination of religion or race," according to Hollywood Foreign Press Association: A History. After the incident, Fraser's representatives asked the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for a written apology, and although Berk acknowledges that one was written, he insisted that his "apology admitted no wrongdoing." In the midst of a crowded room, Fraser says, Berk reached out to shake the actor'shand, but instead grabbed his butt. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) on Sunday announced the winners of the 79th Annual Golden Globe Awards, from the Beverly Hilton. In the 21st century, according to the Golden Globes, "HFPA members attend more than 300 interviews and countless movie and television screenings throughout each year." "Maybe I am over-reacting in terms of what the instance was. Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. President Lorenzo Soria dies After the GQ story was published, the HFPA responded saying that it was investigating the incident. Fraser said that the alleged assault left him feeling "ill," "like a little kid," and "like someone had thrown invisible paint on me." Absolutely.". (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. In my mind, at least, something had been taken away from me.. Helen Hoehne Re-Elected President of HFPA - Variety Interviews with leading film and TV creators about their process and craft. I felt like a little kid. Philip Berk, 88, had been a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) for 44 years and its president for eight years. Absolutely, he tells GQ. I thought I was going to cry.. Get the best of Fox News' entertainment coverage, right in your inbox. 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." Absolutely. He rushed home and told his wife about the encounter, but was afraid to go public with the incident. / CBS News. 2023 IndieWire Media, LLC. And he starts moving it around, Fraser claimed. However, he said the note did not admit anything. Do I feel like I need to say something? 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. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Berk says he just "pinched" the actor. Brendan Fraser (left) accused former Hollywood Foreign Press President Philip Berk of groping him in 2003. 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. Brendan Fraser Says Lost Superman Role Would've Been 'Faustian Bargain' Anyway: 'I'm Not a One-Trick Pony' I felt like a little kid. "And he starts moving it around." 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. 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. Absolutely. This also isn't the first time that NBC has declined to broadcast the Golden Globes. 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." "I'm humbled to be elected by my peers and colleagues here at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and. It will be his second straight year as head of the organization. Fraser also wondered if the HFPA had blacklisted him. I felt like there was a ball in my throat. This report includes alleged information that the HFPA was previously unaware of and at this time we are investigating further details surrounding the incident.. . hollywood foreign press association Brendan Fraser nabs Golden Globe nomination despite vowing not to attend December 12, 2022 | 11:14am The 53-year-old has vowed to boycott the ceremony. Meet the New, Revamped Hollywood Foreign Press Association, 105 Members Strong Finally, the HFPA has entered the modern world, even if they did so kicking and screaming. Mr. And he starts moving it around. Now the new president is hoping for a clean slate. What is HFPA? 2021 Golden Globes group has no Black members - Los Peter Jackson seems to confirm Weinstein blacklisted Mira Sorvino, Ashley Judd. All rights reserved. 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. While there may seem like an over-saturation of award shows in 2021, at the time, they wouldn't have had any other awards shows to compete with, other than the Academy Awards and a few critics groups. 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.". We ask the experts. There's many reasons, but was this one of them? 2023 TIME USA, LLC. Hollywood Foreign Press Association Grants Cal State Northridge $2 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 . Why do some of us start later than others? People reports in his 2014memoirWith Signs and Wonders: My Journey from Darkest Africa to the Bright Lights of Hollywood,Berk recalled pinching Fraser's buttin jest.. Have I stopped myself? 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. Historically, the HFPA has sought to maintain its reserved and exclusive appearance. His left hand reaches around, grabs my ass cheek, and one of his fingers touches me in the taint. 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. HOLLYWOOD, CA Lorenzo Soria, president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association which presents the Golden Globes each year, died at age 68 on Friday. 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. The HFPA stands firmly against sexual harassment and the type of behavior described in this article, the association said in a statement, according to People. "It made me feel reclusive," the . Soria died Friday at his home in Los Angeles, according. Brendan Fraser is speaking out for the first time about his experience with sexual harassment in Hollywood. Fraser said when the group approached him and asked him to sign off on the statement, "What I said to them was, 'Show me the investigator's report, and then I'll know what I'm signing off on.'" 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. Allure may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with In a new interview with GQ, "The Mummy" star alleges that the HFPA's Philip Berk assaulted him at the Beverly Hills Hotel in the summer of 2003. The actor says he believes he was blacklisted in Hollywood partly due to the aftermath of the alleged incident. Hollywood Foreign Press Association addresses absence of Black members 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. I felt like a little kid. 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. He claims in 2003, he was sexually assaulted by Hollywood Foreign Press Association president Philip Berk. I thought I was going to cry. 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 . And the pattern of men in power hurting the careers of those they have harassed or assaulted is in no way unique to the entertainment industry.