Armie Hammer claims he was sexually abused as a teenager and contemplated suicide following rape allegations
In a new interview, Armie Hammer – the subject of an LAPD investigation into rape and sexual assault – has said that he contemplated suicide following his Hollywood downfall. The actor also claims he was sexually abused by a youth pastor at the age of 13. While Hammer denies all criminal wrongdoing, he has admitted to emotionally abusing his former partners.
Hammer was accused of having cannibalistic fetishes when a series of sexual assault allegations were made against the actor in 2021. Now, the Call Me By Your Name star has said that his fascination with BDSM stems from being sexually abused as a teenager.
Speaking to Air Mail, Hammer said: “What that did for me was it introduced sexuality into my life in a way that it was completely out of my control. I was powerless in the situation. I had no agency in the situation. Sexuality was introduced to me in a scary way where I had no control. My interests then went to: I want to have control in the situation, sexually.” Air Mail states that it corroborated Hammer’s account with his godmother.
In the wake of the 2021 allegation, Armie Hammer was dropped by his agency, WME, and fired from all projects, including Jennifer Lopez’s Shotgun Wedding. The actor has been working as a timeshare salesman in the Cayman Islands for the last two years and has spent some time in a rehabilitation facility. He was the subject of last year’s Discovery+ documentary House of Hammer, which traces his downfall and features interviews with a handful of his accusers.
The actor says that he considered committing suicide after his acting career fell apart. “I just walked out into the ocean and swam out as far as I could and hoped that either I drowned, or was hit by a boat, or eaten by a shark,” Hammer said of his time in the Caymans. “Then I realized that my kids were still on shore, and that I couldn’t do that to my kids.”
In his interview with Air Mail, Hammer seeks to undermine the accusations made against him. The most shocking of these was made by a woman known as Effie, who claims that Hammer violently raped her. The accusation prompted an ongoing LAPD investigation. Of his relationships with fellow accusers Courtney Vucekovich and Paige Lorenze, the actor said: “the power dynamics were off” and admitted that he was “one million per cent” emotionally abusive towards the two women.
The actor said: “I would have these younger women in their mid-20s, and I’m in my 30s. I was a successful actor at the time. They could have been happy to just be with me and would have said yes to things that maybe they wouldn’t have said yes to on their own,” Hammer says. “That’s an imbalance of power in the situation.”
The actor continues to deny criminal wrongdoing, putting the 2021 allegations down to his being “an asshole” to his partners. “I’m here to own my mistakes, take accountability for the fact that I was an asshole, that I was selfish, that I used people to make me feel better, and when I was done, moved on,” Hammer continues.
“I’m now a healthier, happier, more balanced person. I’m able to be there for my kids in a way I never was…I’m truly grateful for my life and my recovery and everything. I would not go back and undo everything that’s happened to me.”
Never Miss A Scene
The Far Out Film Newsletter
All the latest film news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.