Brendan Fraser says grim ‘history’ with Golden Globes means he won’t attend awards even if he’s nominated

Brendan Fraser will not participate in the 2023 Golden Globes, despite the high potential he’ll earn a nomination for his leading role in the Oscars front-runner The Whale.

The 53-year-old made his Hollywood comeback in the recent psychological drama, in which he portrays an obese and recluse English teacher who attempts to reconnect with his estranged daughter.

However, in an interview with GQ, published on Wednesday 16 November, Fraser said that even if he receives a 2023 Golden Globe nomination, he “will not participate”.

“It’s because I have more history with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association than I have respect for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association,” the actor said of the organisation that hosts the Golden Globes.

“And my mother didn’t raise a hypocrite. You can call me a lot of things, but not that.”

A few years ago, during an interview with GQ, Fraser discussed his abrupt and sudden retreat from the public eye, sharing startling allegations against former HFPA president and member Philip Berk.

He claimed that in 2003, Berk had assaulted and groped him at a luncheon, which Berk denied, calling Fraser’s account “a total fabrication”.

While Fraser has no plans of attending the January awards show, he did say he’s fully committed to campaigning for it to win an Oscar.

“I owe it to myself. I owe it to the filmmakers. I know I owe it to those fans who paid to come and see me and stand in line in the sun and, you know, all of that. I owe it to my kids. This is my shot.”

Read The Independent’s four-star review of The Whale here.

The Whale is out in cinemas now.