08 February 2023 , 09:56
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Brendan Fraser admits he 'blamed himself' after feeling 'crestfallen' when his son Griffin was diagnosed with autism as a child.
The Whale star, 54, described wanting to "fix" and find a "cure" for his child – he even blamed his own 'weed smoking' habits for Griffin's diagnosis.
He was speaking on The Howard Stern Show when he revealed that his son's autism was discovered when he was around two-years-old – he's now 20.
Shared with ex-wife Afton Smith, Brendan said he felt as if he was "hit with a baseball bat in the back of the head" following Griffin's official diagnosis.
Brendan discussed his son's autism diagnosis (Getty Images for SiriusXM)"The first reaction that I had was, 'I want to know how to fix this. What’s the cure? What does this mean?'," he said on the hit-US radio show.
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"This isn’t the way it’s supposed to turn out," he recalled. "You blame yourself and you think, 'My genealogy' or 'I smoked weed in college'."
Brendan and Afton also share sons Holden, 18, and Leland, 16 – the pair divorced in 2008, but Brendan doesn't pin Griffin's autism on the break-up.
"I paid more attention to my professional life than my personal one," he explained.
"But with Griffin, all bets are off. Who cares what our problems are with each other? That doesn’t matter," Brendan told Howard Stern.
He also shares sons Holden and Leland with Afton (WireImage)Times have changed for the Hollywood actor now, he admits having a different outlook on his son's condition and "wouldn't have it any other way".
He described Griffin having "the most joy onboard of anyone I know" and says he is always "cracking himself up" - Brendan said he "loves to go for a ride in the car".
Only earlier last year, in another interview, the actor explained that Griffin actually helped him connect to his award-winning character in The Whale.
"He doesn’t know what cynicism is. You can’t insult him," he said at the time.
He won Best Actor at the Critics Choice Awards (Getty Images for Critics Choice)"He can’t insult you. He’s the happiest person and is, in my life and many others’, also the manifestation of love."
Brendan is said to have "sobbed" through a six-minute standing ovation for The Whale during its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival.
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The film, Fraser's first leading role in almost a decade, received praise from critics and the audience at the screening rose to their feet when the credits rolled.
He reportedly "broke down in tears" by the response to the film, which won him Best Actor at this year's Critics Choice Awards.