Actor Brendan Fraser is having a career comeback after the runaway success of his new movie, The Whale. Along with all of the renewed attention are several in-depth interviews with the star, where he has opened up about everything from his time away from Hollywood to his son's autism diagnosis.
His son received the diagnosis when he was a toddler
While appearing on The Howard Stern Show, Brendan delved into what happened when he learned that his firstborn son, Griffin, is on the autism spectrum.
"When I found out my kid's diagnosis at 22 or 24 months, I was crestfallen, to say the least," he told Howard, according to People. "The first reaction that I had was, 'I want to know how to fix this. What's the cure? What does this mean?'"
It was very painful news to hear, according to the father of three
The diagnosis was unexpected, and Brendan — who is also dad to sons Holden and Leland — said he felt like he was "hit with a baseball bat in the back of the head."
"This isn't the way it's supposed to turn out," he explained. "You blame yourself and you think, 'My genealogy,' or 'I smoked weed in college.' You start blaming yourself over the reasons why."
Griffin is now 20 years old, and his dad absolutely raves about him
Brendan said his oldest child has "the most joy" of anyone he knows and that he "wouldn't have it any other way."
"I want to know what he thinks is so gut-burstingly funny all day long, in a genuine way. He's cracking himself up. He loves to go for a ride in the car. It doesn't matter where you're taking him," he shared.
Brendan also opened about why his marriage failed
The 54-year-old was married to former actress Afton Smith, the mother of his three kids, from 1998 to 2008. "I paid more attention to my professional life than my personal one," he admitted, but was quick to note that their split had nothing to do with their son's diagnosis. "That's just me."
These days, the exes get along for the sake of Griffin and his brothers
"With Griffin, all bets are off. Who cares what our problems are with each other? That doesn't matter," Brendan noted, adding that he and Afton will both do "anything and everything" to support their children. "That's what I was able to commit to in the most meaningful way."
It sounds like Griffin is well cared for and well loved — a lucky combination!
