Armie Hammer has opened up about his sexual assault allegations, and how the experience has made him “happier than ever” – see what he had to say below.
The actor was accused of rape and sexual misconduct by multiple women in 2021, notably by one woman named Effie, who shared screenshots allegedly sent by the actor in which he shared cannibalistic fantasies.
Hammer – who was dropped by his agent and publicist in the wake of the allegations and exited a number of projects – has denied the accusations, and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office said last year that it would not pursue a case against the actor in regards to Effie’s allegations. No cases have been brought against Hammer in relation to the allegations.
Now, in a new interview with Bill Maher, the actor has revealed that even though he’s “broke”, it was an “incredibly liberating” experience.
“Therapy for me has been a life changer,” he told Maher. “I needed an adjustment. There was some shit going on. Here’s what I think would have happened had none of this gone on and like the cataclysmic tectonic shift in my life wouldn’t have happened. My life would have kept going exactly as it was, and I know that would ultimately only lead in one place and that’s death.”
He added: “I experienced an ego death, a career death, a financial death – all of these things, right? And [Carl] Jung talks about this. Joseph Campbell talks about this. You’ve got to die, and once you die you can then be reborn. A phoenix isn’t going to rise if there’s no ashes.”
Elsewhere during the chat, he spoke about his financial status after dropping out of several films after the allegations came to light: “The good place only comes from walking through hell. It was a brutal experience.”
He continued: “Someone might look at me and go, ‘Yeah, but financially you are in a very different position that you’ve ever been in your entire life.’ And I look at that and I go, ‘Yeah, and you know what, it’s taught me is that I don’t need that because I’ve never been happier than I’ve ever been in my entire life.’”
However, he said the freedom he now has from being “canceled” is “incredibly liberating.”
“Because so much of my life leading up to there, it was two things,” Hammer explained. “It was being preoccupied with how I was perceived, which now you don’t have to care about. Once everyone just decides that they hate you, you go, ‘Oh, well then I don’t need anything from you people any way. I guess I should just learn to be content with myself.’”
“And then you go do that and it feels fucking amazing,” he continued. “And then when anybody says anything to you afterwards, they go, ‘I don’t like you.’ You go, ‘OK, I don’t care.’ Like your opinion is yours and you’re allowed to have it. I just don’t agree. But before I needed that, I needed that validation.”
Last year, Hammer addressed claims of sexual misconduct from two women, Courtney Vucekovich and Paige Lorenze, denying any criminal wrongdoing but admitting he “one million per cent” emotionally abused them. During the 2023 interview, Hammer also said he attempted suicide in 2021 in the wake of the allegations, while also revealing he was sexually abused aged 13.
Last year, Hammer’s Call Me By Your Name co-star Timothée Chalamet addressed the claims against the actor, calling them “disorienting”.
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.