Brendan Fraser has opened up about the traumatizing moment he was groped by the former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
The George of the Jungle star recounted the experience in an interview with GQ back in 2018, which has resurfaced ahead of the release of his first big movie in years, The Whale.
According to Fraser, he was attending a luncheon at the Beverly Hills Hotel in 2003 hosted by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (the organization responsible for hosting the Golden Globes).
On his way out, he was bid farewell by Philip Berk - a former president of the HFPA - who shook his hand and groped his backside in the middle of a crowded room.
He 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."
The star recalled how the experience affected him, saying: "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."
"I felt like someone had thrown invisible paint on me," he continued.
Fraser went on to explain how the incident was one of the reasons why he retreated from the spotlight, going from being one of the biggest movie stars in the world to a private, reclusive person for many years.
"I became depressed," he said, adding: "I was blaming myself and I was miserable—because I was saying, 'This is nothing; this guy reached around and he copped a feel. That summer wore on—and I can't remember what I went on to work on next.'"
"It made me feel reclusive,' Fraser added.
He continued: "I don't know if this curried disfavor with the group, with the HFPA. But the silence was deafening."
Although he didn't make any public accusations immediately, Fraser did request a formal apology from Berk. The ex-president wrote Fraser a letter, however, he did not officially admit to any wrongdoing, and claims that Fraser's version of what happened is overstated and false.
Meanwhile, the Bedazzled star claims that he was rarely invited back to the Golden Globes following the incident, and that being sexually assaulted by Beck has left him feeling "frightened" to this day.
"Am I still frightened? Absolutely. Do I feel like I need to say something? Absolutely. Have I wanted to many, many times? Absolutely. Have I stopped myself? Absolutely," he told GQ.
If you or anyone you know has suffered sexual assault, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE.
