Golden Globes Org Launches Investigation After Brendan Fraser Accuses Ex Pres of Sexual Assault

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which conducts the Golden Globe Awards, is launching an investigation after actor Brendan Fraser accused the organization's former president of sexually assaulting him in 2003.

"The HFPA stands firmly against sexual harassment and the type of behavior described in this article," the HFPA said in a statement to Us Weekly. "Over the years we've continued a positive working relationship with Brendan, which includes announcing Golden Globe nominees, attending the ceremony and participating in press conferences. This report includes alleged information that the HFPA was previously unaware of and at this time we are investigating further details surrounding the incident."

Fraser's accusations were made in a lengthy GQ interview last week, which delved into the actor's rocky Hollywood career. The "Mummy" star said Philip Berk, the former president of the HFPA, is one of the reasons why he stepped away from the spotlight due to an alleged incident in the summer of 2003 at a luncheon for the Golden Globes.

"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," Fraser told the magazine. "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."

Fraser said his reps asked Berk to apologize to him in a letter, which he did, and the HFPA said it would not allow the two men to be in the same room together. Nevertheless, Berk, who is still a member of the HFPA, has denied Fraser's accusations, telling GQ his claims "a total fabrication" and that his apology "admitted no wrongdoing."

After the alleged incident, the actor, now 49, says he "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," Fraser told GQ, adding that he felt worried his claim would "becoming part of [his] narrative" and began feeling he deserved what had happened to him. He said the incident "made me retreat. It made me feel reclusive."