It seems 2024 is the year we get answers after the ongoing rumors that Armie Hammer was into cannibalism. After an ex of the actor explained the bizarre situation in more detail back in January, we now have some words from Hammer himself about the whole fiasco. He appeared on a podcast, and in a surprising turn of events, explained why he feels grateful for the drama in hindsight.
A year after being cleared of sexual assault charges and the internet reading leaked messages detailing the actor’s fetish fantasies of cannibalism and BDSM, Armie Hammer spoke to Painful Lessons about the whole experience. Hammer talked about what it was like to be at the center of it all, quitting movies he was a part of and reckoning with the idea that people believed he was a cannibal. The actor laid it all out, saying
When all of this really kind of started for me, it felt like I was in a tornado. It felt like the only thing I could do was cover my head and protect my neck, even though I had instincts of lashing out. Even though I wanted to go out there and say, ‘This is crazy! What is everyone talking about?!’ There were things that people were saying about me that just felt so outlandish… That I was a cannibal. Now, I’m able to sort of able to sort of look at with a sense of distance and perspective and be like, ‘That’s hilarious. People called me a cannibal, and everyone believed them.’ They’re like, ‘Yep, that guy ate people.’ And you’re just like, ‘What?! Like, what are you talking about?’ You know what you have to do to be a cannibal? You have to eat people. … It was bizarre.
Hammer’s ex-wife Elizabeth Chambers, who left the actor when the initial accusations of sexual assault against him surfaced, has also said going through that during the end of their marriage was absolute hell. As such, it isn’t hard to believe that the actor looks back on it as such a bizarre time, especially without the threat of any legal repercussions looming over him.
On the other side of it, Armie Hammer has apparently found happiness in 2024. That may seem like a confusing statement considering he lost work in movies like Next Goal Wins as a result, but the actor explained why he feels that way now, saying
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. 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, 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. I never knew how to give myself love. I never knew how to give myself self-validation. But I had this job where I was able to get it from so many people that I never had to learn how to give it to myself.
Armie Hammer has evidently found a way to heal following his controversy, but there’s a real question of whether he’ll get back to Hollywood with these problems in the rearview. As of writing the actor doesn’t have any major movies in the works, and the actor said later in the podcast that his career is “nowhere now,” and implied he’s not welcome back in the Hollywood circles he once was offered gigs.
While the odds of Armie Hammer ever returning for a Man From UNCLE sequel feels low, he is apparently writing a screenplay with a friend. He may eventually make a return down the road, but even if he doesn’t, it seems the actor has found peace in addressing his various addictions and other issues in the time since the whole controversy surrounding him began.
Ultimately, the actor engaged in a 12-step program in an effort to battle everything he was up against, and based on his statements in the recent interview, it seems he has made progress. It’s unclear if the progress will ever be enough to resurrect his Hollywood career, but we’re in uncharted territory here. I’d imagine not many celebrities were accused of cannibalism in their lifetimes.
Readers can watch Armie Hammer’s last Hollywood movie, Death on the Nile, with a Hulu subscription.