Armie Hammer has broken his silence for the first time since alleged cannibalistic fantasies and sexual assault claims halted the actor’s career two years ago.
Speaking to digital newsletter Air Mail, Hammer said, “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. I’m now a healthier, happier, more balanced person.”
In the interview, Hammer reveals for the first time that he was molested at the age of 13 by a youth pastor at his church, a revelation that was corroborated by two people including his godmother.
“It introduced sexuality into my life in a way that it was completely out of my control,” Hammer said. “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. … because being out of control was very dangerous for me and very uncomfortable.”
Hammer also addressed the accusations of sexual abuse and rape against him, specifically those levied by “Effie,” who accused the actor of “violently” raping and assaulting her during an April 2017 encounter; the Los Angeles Police Department opened a sexual assault investigation in Feb. 2021 following the accusations “Effie” made public on Instagram.
According to Hammer, the alleged incident was a well-planned “consensual non-consent scene” where “every single thing was discussed beforehand” between him and “Effie” in a since-deleted Facebook Messenger conversation.
“If I still had these messages, I would have been able to put this to bed in .5 seconds,” Hammer said. “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.”
As for other accusers, Hammer admitted he was emotionally abusive and that “the power dynamics were off,” but denied he sexually assaulted them.
“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,” Hammer told Air Mail. “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.”
Amid the accusations and the abrupt end of his acting career — Hammer was replaced on several projects, including Paramount+’s The Offer and Jennifer Lopez’s just-released Shotgun Wedding, and his agents and reps severed ties with him — Hammer said he contemplated suicide while in the Cayman Islands.
“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. “Then I realized that my kids were still on shore, and that I couldn’t do that to my kids.”
Following a stint in drug and alcohol rehab, Hammer is now working as a sober companion to a fellow recovering addict. The actor also confirmed reports that Robert Downey Jr., himself a former addict who enjoyed a career resurgence in sobriety, has been supportive in his recovery.
“There are examples everywhere, Robert being one of them, of people who went through those things and found redemption through a new path,” Hammer said.
“I feel like, is what’s missing in this cancel-culture, woke-mob business. The minute anyone does anything wrong, they’re thrown away. 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.”
Reflecting on the events of the past two years, Hammer added, “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.”