Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual assault which some readers may find distressing.
While Brendan Fraser has brought his Hollywood career back, there was a period of time where he was not getting much work.
The actor's comeback has heartened many, who hold a strong affection for Fraser from his performances in the likes of The Mummy, George of the Jungle, and that really heartbreaking episode of Scrubs, among various other performances.
When the work dried up for him, many wondered what had happened, and Fraser would end up saying that he was the victim of sexual abuse in Hollywood, alleging that former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) Philip Berk sexually abused him.
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In an interview with GQ in 2018, Fraser said his career 'withered on a vine' after he was allegedly groped by Berk at a HFPA luncheon event back in 2003, leaving him feeling 'miserable', 'depressed', and 'reclusive'.
The 56-year-old said: "His left hand reaches around, grabs my ass cheek, and one of his fingers touches me in the taint. And he starts moving it around. 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... In my mind, at least, something had been taken away from me."
Berk previously tried to describe the incident as a joke in his 2014 memoir, and in a recent statement given to GQ, he added: "His career declined through no fault of ours."
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After his shocking revelation, Fraser received a written apology, but claims he found himself shut out from the HFPA and the Golden Globes awards, leading him to wonder if he'd been blacklisted.
After this, the actor suffered personal setbacks including issues with his own health, divorce, and the loss of his mother.
However, he's now back in the lights of Hollywood after scooping up his first ever Oscar for The Whale, and he followed that up with a performance in Killers of the Flower Moon which got him some particular praise from director Martin Scorsese.
Tearing up as he held his Best Actor award on stage at the Oscars, Fraser said he was 'so grateful for the award', coming on stage and saying: “So this is what the multiverse looks like!
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“I thank the academy for this honour… Darren Aronofsky for throwing me a creative lifeline and hauling me aboard the good ship The Whale."
Addressing his fellow best actor nominees, he said actors laid their 'whale-sized hearts bare', saying it was his 'honour' to be named alongside them in this category.
Fraser went on: “I want to tell you that only whales can swim at the depths of the talent of Hong Chau.
“I started in this business 30 years ago… there was a facility that that I didn’t appreciate at the time until it stopped.”
He added: "I just want to say thank you for this acknowledgement because it could not be done without my cast."
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Additional words by Jess Battison.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivors Trust for free on 08088 010 818, available 10am-12.30pm, 1.30pm-3pm and 6pm-8pm Monday to Thursday, 10am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-3pm on Fridays, 10am-12.30pm on Saturdays and 6pm-8pm on Sundays.
Topics: Brendan Fraser, Celebrity, TV and Film, Oscars, Mental Health
Joe Harker