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Armie Hammer broke his silence more than two years after becoming embroiled in a scandal involving allegations of rape, sexual abuse and cannibalistic fantasies that led to his career downfall.
The 36-year-old actor denied any criminal wrongdoing, insisting that all of his sexual encounters were consensual, but admitted to emotionally abusing former partners in an interview with Air Mail that was published on Friday.
Hammer revealed that he attempted suicide in February 2021 after multiple women accused him of sexual abuse. "The Social Network" star also opened up about being sexually abused by a youth pastor when he was 13, which he said led to his interest in BDSM.
"What that did for me was it introduced sexuality into my life in a way that it was completely out of my control," Hammer said during his Air Mail interview.
Armie Hammer is speaking out for the first time in more than two years after becoming embroiled in a scandal involving allegations of rape, sexual abuse and cannibalistic fantasies that led to his career downfall. (Vera Anderson/WireImage)
He continued, "I was powerless in the situation. I had no agency in the situation."
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"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."
Hammer said that he told an older friend, who has since died, about the abuse and also confided in his godmother, Candace Garvey, who confirmed the account to Air Mail.
The Golden Globe nominee told the outlet that being sexually abused as a teenager "set a dangerous precedent in my life." He explained that his "sexual interests became about being in control, because being out of control was very dangerous for me and very uncomfortable."
However, he staunchly maintained that he never had non-consensual sex with any of his partners and obtained consent before every sexual act.
"Every single thing was discussed beforehand," he told Air Mail. "I have never thrust this on someone unexpectedly. Never."
"That’s a very important part of the BDSM world," Hammer added. "The consent. Because you’re doing things that are pushing envelopes. You’re doing things that are beyond the [realm of] ‘Let’s have missionary sex with the lights off.’ You have to have that trust."
"You have to have that vulnerability with someone. You have to have that aspect of ‘I am willingly giving my control over to this person." he continued.
The actor denied any criminal wrong-doing, insisting that all of his sexual encounters were consensual, but admitted to emotionally abusing former partners in an interview with Air Mail that was published on Friday. (Courtesy of Getty Images on behalf of InStyle/HFPA)
Hammer went on to say that he believes that the "sub", a term short for submissive partner, "is the one who actually has all the power" over the dominant partner.
"Always," he said. "They’re the ones who can say ‘stop’ at any moment. They’re the ones who set the boundaries."
In 2020, Hammer’s wife, TV personality Elizabeth Chambers, filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences. Months later, allegations of sexual violence derailed Hammer's once-thriving career in Hollywood. Messages allegedly from Hammer, which detailed violent sexual fantasies including references to rape, violence and cannibalism, were leaked online by an anonymous Instagram account entitled "House of Effie." Hammer called them "vicious and spurious online attacks against me."
After those texts were published, Hammer departed from the comedy "Shotgun Wedding," in which he was to star alongside Jennifer Lopez, shortly before production was to begin. He soon after departed from the Paramount+ series "The Offer," about the making of "The Godfather," as well as the Starz series "Gaslit" and the Broadway play "The Minutes." Hammer was also dropped by his agency, WME.
The "Call Me By Your Name" actor told Air Mail that he attempted suicide in February 2021 as his life was crumbling around him. At the time, he was quarantining in the Cayman Islands with his children, daughter Harper Grace, 8, and son Ford Armand, 6, whom he shares with Chambers.
In 2020, Hammer’s wife, TV personality Elizabeth Chambers, filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences. Months later, allegations of sexual violence derailed Hammer's once thriving career in Hollywood. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
"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," he remembered. "Then I realized that my kids were still on shore, and that I couldn’t do that to my kids."
After the texts were released, other women came forward with allegations that they were sexually abused by Hammer. In March 2021, the owner of the "House of Effie" Instagram account identified herself as Efrosina "Effie" Angelova and accused Hammer of raping her in 2017. The Los Angeles Police Department opened a sexual assault investigation into her allegations, which Hammer denied.
In his interview with Air Mail, Hammer addressed several of the allegations made against him, including the rape accusation. He told the outlet that he and the accuser, Effie, were engaged in a "torrid affair" in 2017. In her allegation, Effie described a 2017 sexual encounter with Hammer in which she said he "violently raped me for over four hours."
Hammer claimed that the encounter was a BDSM "scene" that the two had planned together over Facebook Messenger. He said that those messages were deleted and his lawyer has subpoenaed Meta to retrieve them with no success.
"If I still had these messages, I would have been able to put this to bed in .5 seconds," he told Air Mail. "This alleged rape was a scene that was her idea. She planned all of the details out, all the way down to what Starbucks I would see her at, how I would follow her home, how her front door would be open and unlocked and I would come in, and we would engage in what is called a ‘consensual non-consent scene,’ CNC."
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Hammer said that Effie introduced him to the practice of CNC, which is common in the BDSM community. However, he stated that while the two had sex multiple times during the 2017 encounter, they "only had one, scheduled CNC event."
"The whole point of this is mutual pleasure," he said of BDSM sexual practices. "If you’re engaged in some sort of sexual act with someone and they’re not enjoying themselves, for me, I’m not enjoying myself. When two people are engaged in something, especially an intense scene, the symbiosis of it is what makes it magical. If one person’s not enjoying it and you feel that energy, maybe there are people who enjoy that, but that’s not me. I get so much pleasure giving someone pleasure."
Hammer revealed that he attempted suicide in February 2021 after multiple women accused him of sexual abuse. (Photo by Christopher Polk/E! Entertainment/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
Air Mail said it obtained direct messages between Effie and Hammer's ex-wife in which she shared details of their affair and reportedly wrote "I was pretty much chasing him."
In addition, Air Mail posted screenshots of direct messages it claimed were between Effie and one of her followers, in which she allegedly wrote that the sex between herself and Hammer was "consensual, that he was "such an amazing Daddy," and that he "is not dangerous. He didn’t rape anyone."
Air Mail reported that Effie exchanged direct messages with another follower the next day. When the follower asked if she had "legal representation," she reportedly wrote, "I’m not saying he raped me, no need for legal rep."
Hammer addressed allegations made by two of his accusers, Courtney Vucekovich and Paige Lorenze. The "Rebecca" star admitted that "the power dynamics were off" in his relationships with Vucekovich and Lorenze due to their age differences and his fame.
"I would have these younger women in their mid-20s, and I’m in my 30s," he told Air Mail. "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. That’s an imbalance of power in the situation."
He continued, "I had a very intense and extreme lifestyle, and I would scoop up these women, bring them into it —into this whirlwind of travel and sex and drugs and big emotions flying around — and then as soon as I was done, I'd just drop them off and move on to the next woman, leaving that woman feeling abandoned or used."
Hammer went on to say that he takes full responsibility for his actions.
"I’m here to own my mistakes, take accountability for the fact that I was an a--hole, that I was selfish, that I used people to make me feel better, and when I was done, moved on. And treated people more poorly than they should have been treated."
Air Mail stated that Hammer entered a rehabilitation facility for drug and alcohol abuse in May 2021.
"The Social Network" star also opened up about being sexually abused by a youth pastor when he was 13, which he said led to his interest in BDSM. (Photo by Todd Williamson/E! Entertainment/NBCU Photo Bank)
"I’m now grateful for everything that’s happened to me, because, as it says in the ‘Twelve and Twelve’ ['Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,' the guidebook of Alcoholics Anonymous], pain is the touchstone of spiritual progress," Hammer said.
He continued, "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 able to be there for my dad as he’s dying in a way that I would have never been able to be. 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."
Hammer's father Michael Armand Hammer died at the age of 67 after a battle with cancer in November. His death occurred three weeks after Hammer's interview with Air Mail, the outlet reported.
Hammer also confirmed that Robert Downey Jr. supported him as a mentor during his recovery. Vanity Fair previously reported that Downey paid for Hammer's rehab stint and provided him with additional financial aid. In July 2022, it was reported that Hammer was selling timeshares at a hotel in the Cayman Islands to support himself.
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"What I would say is this: There’s examples of people who went through really difficult times and experienced what [the author] Joseph Campbell would call ‘the hero’s death.’ And the hero must die so the hero can be reborn again," the California native said.
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He continued, "There are examples everywhere, Robert being one of them, of people who went through those things and found redemption through a new path. And that, I feel like, is what’s missing in this cancel-culture, woke-mob business. The minute anyone does anything wrong, they’re thrown away."
Hammer told Airmail that he is now working as a sober companion to another recovering addict who recently left rehab. (Photo by MEGA/GC Image)
"There’s no chance for rehabilitation. There’s no chance for redemption. Someone makes a mistake, and we throw them away like a broken disposable camera. Robert and others are examples of what it looks like for a human being to experience pain and then growth. And that aspect of it is something that I aspire to."
Hammer told Air Mail that he is now working as a sober companion to another recovering addict who recently left rehab.
"I'm going to move in with him and live with him, get him on a healthy routine, get him into a good schedule of [recovery] meetings, take him to the gym, cook healthy food for him," he shared. "It feels like my recovery has taken a turn from me being the one who needs help staying sober, to me being able to help others."
Hammer also reflected on the possibility of making a career comeback in Hollywood.
"No one will hire me," he told Air Mail. "No one will insure me. I can’t get bonded for a project—nothing."
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He continued, "And no one will touch me because if they hire me, then they are the people who support abusers. And then they’re liable to get canceled themselves because this fire that is burning itself through town—when they throw someone like me on the fire to protect themselves, what they don’t realize is happening is all they’re doing is making the fire bigger."
"And that fire is now out of control and it’s going to burn everyone. And they’re just continually throwing people on it as sacrifices to protect themselves."
If you or someone you know is suffering from abuse, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.
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