“How to fix this. What’s the cure? What does this mean?”: Brendan Fraser Felt Helpless Yet Again After Realizing His Son Has Autism
Actor Brendan Fraser recently opened up about his oldest son, Griffin’s condition. He was diagnosed with Autism when he was about 22 months old and that was one of the most difficult moments in Fraser’s life. In his latest interview, the actor talked about how someone with autism needs extra time and attention, and also how he had a hard time accepting his son’s condition.
The actor shares Griffin, 20, and two more sons, Leland, 16, and Holden, 18 with his ex-wife, Afton Smith. Fraser got married to Afton Smith in 1998 and got divorced in 2008.
Brendan Fraser’s son has autism
Actor Brendan Fraser recently sat down with Howard Stern for his SiriusXM radio show and talked about his 20-year-old son, Griffin. He found out his son had autism when he was about 22 months old and that completely changed the actor’s life. He explained how people with Autism need more attention and he specifically makes time for his fans with special needs,
“You know that there’s somebody who needs a little more love, a little more time because they’re autistic or they have Aspergers, and this is their world. This is where they belong. No matter all of the noise surrounding the hysteria that goes into the whole celebrity bulls**t, I always, always stop the train to have a moment with them.”
He added that since his son has autism he knows what it means to his fans when he shows up to meet them.
The actor had a hard time accepting his son’s condition
Brendan Fraser further opened up about the time when he found out about Griffin’s condition. He had a hard time processing the information. He said,
“When I found out my kid’s diagnosis at 22 or 24 months, I was crestfallen, to say the least. The first reaction that I had was, ‘I want to know how to fix this. What’s the cure? What does this mean?’ You’re just hit with a baseball bat in the back of the side of the head. Like what? This isn’t the way it’s supposed to turn out.”
The actor noted that he had a tough time raising him as he had to fight “school boards” and met a lot of people who “have a completely different agenda compared to what the purpose of sending a kid to a special needs school is.”
Brendan Fraser initially blamed himself
The actor then explained that he initially blamed himself for his condition, thinking that his poor habits may have caused this but eventually he accepted it,
“You blame yourself and you think, ‘my genealogy or ‘I smoked weed in college,’ you start blaming yourself over the reasons why. It’s like trying to get a straight answer out of a f**king leprechaun. Then you learn quickly that, I wouldn’t have any other way.”
Stern then asked him if his son’s condition contributed to the fallout in his marriage with Afton Smith. He just said that he “focused more on his professional life than his personal one.” Fraser shares two more sons, Leland, 16, and Holden, 18 with his ex-wife.
Source: SiriusXM radio show
