While The Whale has been expected to have a big presence during awards season next year, we shouldn’t expect to see Brendan Fraser attending the Golden Globe Awards. Back in 2018, Fraser publicly alleged that he’d been groped by former Hollywood Foreign Press Association president Philip Berk in 2003. The actor has cited the incident as a contributor to a deep depression that lasted for years, and while an internal investigation found that Berk behaved inappropriately, he remained on board. Berk has since been expelled in 2021 following controversial comments made about the Black Lives Matter movement.

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Berk might be gone at this point, but Fraser’s relationship with the Golden Globes remains strained. Speaking about the possibility of attending the awards ceremony next year if The Whale is nominated, Fraser told GQ that there’s no chance of that happening. Referring to the troubled past he has with the organization, here’s what Fraser said when asked if he’d accept an invite for the 2023 ceremony.

“I have more history with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association than I have respect for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. No, I will not participate. It’s because of the history that I have with them. And my mother didn’t raise a hypocrite. You can call me a lot of things, but not that.”

Brendan Fraser Would Love to Attend the Oscars, Hopes to Win for Best Actor

     A24

The Golden Globe Awards will be one ceremony that won’t have Fraser in attendance, but he’s not going to be totally absent for awards season next year. The Whale has generated tons of Oscar buzz and it seems very likely that the film will earn some nominations. Fraser also told GQ that he will be pursuing a Best Actor nomination, which will even involve personally campaigning for the nod. The actor says he owes it to himself along with those who’ve been so supportive with this endeavor.

Directed by Darren Aronofsky, The Whale is written by Samuel D. Hunter, who also created the original stage play the movie is based on. In the film, Fraser plays a 600-pound man who has been living in seclusion amid increasing health issues. After abandoning his family for his now-deceased gay lover, the “whale” hopes to reconnect with his teenage daughter (Sadie Sink, Stranger Things) before his time runs out.

“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.”

The Whale will be released in theaters on Dec. 9, 2022, courtesy of A24.