Armie Hammer reveals being sexually abused as a teen, suicidal thoughts after rape allegation in 2021
After two years, Armie Hammer is opening up about being accused of rape in 2021, in a new interview.
The actor denied any criminal wrongdoing but shared that he had been selfish and used people in the past. He also revealed that he had been sexually abused as a teen by a youth pastor and had suicidal thoughts after the scandal broke.
In January 2021, the actor was accused by several women of sexual abuse and improper behavior. They stated that he sent messages of BDSM fantasies and cannibalistic fetishism. As the claims went viral on social, Armie was let go from his talent agency WME and dropped from several projects including Shotgun Wedding, Gaslit, The Offer, and Next Goal Wins. He and his wife Elizabeth Chambers had already announced their separation in July 2020, after rumors of his infidelity and substance abuse came to light.
Speaking to the digital newsletter Air Mail, Armie shared that he had been molested by a youth pastor at the age of 13. He 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.”
The actor also shared that in February 2021 when he was staying in the Cayman Islands, he thought about ending it all. He shared, “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. Then I realized that my kids were still on shore, and that I couldn’t do that to my kids.”
In the same interview, Armie states that he’s taking accountability for his mistakes and had also gone into rehab for his substance abuse. He stated that he was now a “healthier, happier, more balanced person”.
Armie began acting with several small roles in television shows like Arrested Development, Gossip Girl, and Desperate Housewives. His breakthrough role came in David Fincher’s The Social Network (2010) as the twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss. Actor Josh Pence stood in as a body double during filming.
Following this, he was offered several key roles in films like J Edgar (2011), The Lone Ranger (2013), and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015). He was nominated for a Golden Globe award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me by Your Name (2017). He was last seen in the Kenneth Branagh film Death on the Nile (2022).