Armie Hammer has opened up about the allegations that derailed his career in Hollywood, saying that he’s now “grateful” for everything he went through the past three years.
During an interview on the “Painful Lessons” podcast, Hammer reflected on the cannibalism accusations surrounding him in 2021, calling the situation “hilarious.”
“People called me a cannibal, and everyone believed them. They’re like, ‘Yep, that guy ate people,’” Hammer said with a laugh. “Like what? What are you talking about? Do you know what you have to do to be a cannibal? You have to eat people! How am I going to be a cannibal?! It was bizarre.”
Hammer was accused in 2021 of sexual abuse and improper behavior by multiple women; private messages he allegedly sent to women about his cannibalistic fantasies and sexual fetishes were also leaked online. In the wake of the scandal, Hammer was dropped by his agency, WME, and exited several projects, including the Paramount+ series “The Offer” and Jennifer Lopez’s “Shotgun Wedding.”
“Even in the discrepancies, in whatever it was that people said, whatever it was that happened, I’m now at a place in my life where I’m grateful for every single bit of it,” Hammer said on the podcast.
The “Call Me by Your Name” actor added that he “never knew how to give myself love” or “self-validation” prior to the allegations, because he “had this job where I was able to get it from so many people.”
“I’m actually now at a place where I’m really grateful for it because where I was in my life before all of that stuff happened to me,” Hammer said. “I didn’t feel good. I never felt satisfied, I never had enough. I never was in a place where I was happy with myself — where I had self-esteem.”
Hammer said the accusations caused “an ego death, a career death,” and he ultimately joined a 12-step program.
“It’s almost like a neutron bomb went off in my life,” he said. “It killed me, it killed my ego, it killed all the people around me that I thought were my friends that weren’t — all of those people, in a flash, went away.
“But the buildings were still standing. I’m still here, I still have my health, and I’m really grateful for that.”
At the end of the podcast, Hammer admitted that his career as an actor is “nowhere” because he’s “not a viable commodity” for the “Hollywood system.” However, he’s making his “own sandbox” as an artist by writing a script with a friend.
Watch the full interview below.
From Variety US