Terry Crews Speaks Out In Support Of Brendan Fraser
The actor Brendan Fraser is joining the #MeToo movement. In an interview with GQ, published today, Fraiser said that Philip Berk, a former president of the HFPA, assaulted him in the summer of 2003.
“His left hand reaches around, grabs my a** cheek, and one of his fingers touches me in the taint. And he starts moving it around,” Fraser told GQ. In that moment, he said, he was overcome with panic and fear. But, eventually, he was able to remove his assaulter’s hand.
“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,” the actor told GQ journalist Zach Baron.
“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,” Fraser added.
The GQ article, titled “What Ever Happened To Brendan Fraser?,” reports on the meteoric rise of Fraser’s career, but also on its abrupt and surprising downfall. Once a promising, ubiquitous movie star, and a potential Superman — Brendan had a good chance of starring in the 2003 superhero movie — the actor hasn’t quite become the box office movie titan Hollywood and his fans had hoped that he would become.
The GQ story, however, has made the world think and talk about Brendan Fraser again. His name is trending on Twitter, but not too many celebrities have come out in support of the actor as of yet. However, another male movie star, a man who wasn’t afraid to share his own story about sexual harassment, has expressed support for Fraser: Terry Crews.
In an emotional Twitter message, posted just a couple of hours ago, Terry wrote: “Brendan is amazingly courageous in telling this. His assault experience is extremely similar to mine — ending with the assailant explaining away his actions. One mans ‘horseplay’ is another man’s humiliation.”
Brendan is amazingly courageous in telling this. His assault experience is extremely similar to mine— ending with the assailant explaining away his actions.
One mans “horseplay” is another man’s humiliation. https://t.co/nNjtmKq5D7
— Terry Crews (@terrycrews) February 22, 2018
Terry Crews, star of box office smash hits such as The Expendables, and the TV Series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, previously discussed the #MeToo movement, as well as the backlash he had experienced.
Some celebrities have expressed their support for the Expendables actor, but, as BET pointed out, the lack of Hollywood’s response to Terry Crews’ attempt to call out his assaulter was not at all in line with what the #MeToo movement is, or what it is supposed to be.
“It’s the backlash I experienced when I came forward with my story: men who were angry that, at first, I didn’t name my abuser; men who questioned why I didn’t fight back, who said I let him do it, who said I must’ve wanted it, who said I must be gay. The man code is why I endured the male version of a female survivor being asked, ‘What were you wearing?,” Crews said. The Inquisitr reported on this in early February.
It remains to be seen if Brendan will receive the same treatment his colleague Terry Crews has received.
Brendan Fraser is finally speaking out about what happened to him, and sharing his unpleasant and disturbing experience with the public, so support from someone like Terry Crews might go a long way.