Brendan Fraser Says He Was Manhandled by Hollywood Honcho

Brendan Fraser said he is a victim of sexual assault.

The Mummy actor alleged that he was groped by Philip Berk, the former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Assocation, which oversees the Golden Globes.

Speaking to GQ, Fraser said the incident occured in summer 2013 at the Beverly Hills Hotel, in the middle of a crowded HFPA luncheon. Berk moved to shake Fraser's hand -- and then grabbed him below the waist.

"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 recounted. "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," he added.

Berk told GQ Fraser's account is "a total fabrication." He recounted pinching Fraser's butt in his memoir -- but maintained it was only a joke. After demands for an apology from Fraser's representatives, Berk penned a letter.

"My apology admitted no wrongdoing," Berk said. "The usual 'If I've done anything that upset Mr. Fraser, it was not intended and I apologize.'"

Fraser said the incident "made me retreat. It made me feel reclusive." He cited it as one of the reasons he stopped acting, in addition to marital troubles and injuries from stunts. He did not come forward at the time because he was not ready to deal with it, he said.

However, the women of the #MeToo movement, including friends Rose McGowan, Ashley Judd, and Mira Sorvino, inspired him to tell his story, he added.

"Am I still frightened? Absolutely," Fraser said. "Do I feel like I need to say something? Absolutely. Have I wanted to many, many times? Absolutely. Have I stopped myself? Absolutely."

Fraser is one of only a few high-profile men who have come forward with claims of sexual abuse. Last year, Star Trek: Discovery actor Anthony Rapp accused Kevin Spacey of harassing him when Rapp was a teenager. Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Terry Crews alleged he was groped by a Hollywood agent.