But sexual assault and harassment have a way of derailing momentum and leaving its survivors in a pool of shame, guilt, and continually recurring agony.Ī male actor speaking out about how his career was shattered by sexual assault is nothing short of remarkable. As a young man preparing to dominate the screens, he thought he had complete control over his expanding career, that nothing could touch him or throw him off his purpose. Yet, he maintains that it all leads back to that fateful night in Los Angeles, where his entire world was left undone by the disgusting actions of an executive.īrendan’s struggles have more profound implications than his own suffering. It’s no surprise that the actor began spiraling in all directions. He came upon many financial difficulties while on his forced sabbatical from Hollywood. His mother passed away from cancer in late 2016. If that wasn’t enough, he and his wife of fourteen years, Afton Smith, divorced in 2007.
He had to get two laminectomies, a knee replacement, several procedures for his back, surgery for his spinal pads, and even had to get his vocal cord replaced at one point.
The overwhelming demands of being a Hollywood hero triggered a number of health issues for Brendan. Brendan stated, “By the time I did the third Mummy picture in China,” which was 2008, “I was put together with tape and ice.” As a rising action star, his body was put through the wringer in the name of stunts, physique requirements, and just regular male beauty standards. It wasn’t just the assault that knocked his career off its course. I was blaming myself, and I was miserable just felt I couldn’t be a part of it. Worst of all, he blamed himself for the pain and not growing a “thick skin” against the dehumanizing treatment. After a while, he just didn’t feel like he was worthy of reentering the spotlight and pursuing his passion. He stopped socializing with his loved ones, he stopped expressing interest in film or television projects, and he decided to stop taking phone calls about new roles. The experience made him a shell of his former self. He was never invited back into the Golden Globes - an award ceremony organized and run by the HFPA - and industry professionals turned their back to him one by one. But the HFPA and Berk’s team reportedly offered nothing but a meaningless statement containing no acknowledgment of wrongdoing.īrendan claimed in the GQ interview that he was slowly blacklisted from Hollywood on the part of a concerted effort from the HFPA. His team contacted the HFPA and asked for a written apology. What’s truly tragic is that Brendan did his part in addressing the situation at the time. Brendan Fraser on GQ His injuries, divorce, and the death of his mother added to the stress and left him “miserable” I was blaming myself, and I was miserable It made me feel reclusive In my mind, at least, something had been taken away from me. He was a young, ambitious actor shooting for the stars he didn’t think that something that he deemed to be so trivial merited the fuss. He didn’t process the true impact of the assault, and so the trauma dug its vicious claws into his psyche, unraveling his life bit by bit.Īt the same time, he didn’t want to expose Berk in fear of having his career become defined by one particular moment. He realized right there and then that someone had cruelly violated both his trust and sense of safety - that “someone had thrown invisible paint on.” He contemplated disclosing the encounter to the public at the time, but he backed out due to his own denial and fear.
In a matter of minutes, Brendan had his innocence and peace of mind snatched out of his hands.