Armie Hammer admits to being emotionally abusive in first interview ...

Two years after reports began emerging of allegations of strange—and sometimes criminal—behavior against Armie Hammer, the actor has given his first interview, to the online newsletter Air Mail. In the interview, Hammer discusses a variety of topics about the general trajectory of his life over the last two years, including admitting to being emotionally abusive to some of the women who’ve come forward with allegations against him—but also denying accusations of rape.

Hammer’s rising career (buoyed by a strong performance in Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me By Your Name) abruptly shifted directions back in January of 2021, when several women released what appeared to be texts from the actor, expressing sexual fantasies (including references to cannibalism) and controlling behaviors. Soon, he was being removed from high-profile projects: The Jennifer Lopez movie Shotgun Weddingre-cast him, as did the Godfather making-of series The Offer, and he was shortly after dropped by his talent agency. After issuing a brief statement, Hammer fell off the radar—other than occasional reports that he was currently working as a Cayman Islands timeshare salesman, of all things.

In the Air Mail interview, Hammer says that he was suicidal during at least part of this period, saying that, “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.” He also details incidents of sexual abuse against him as a child, citing it as a motivator for a need “to have control in the situation, sexually.”

As to the allegations: Hammer addresses his relationships with Courtney Vucekovich and Paige Lorenze, both of whom appeared in the recent House Of Hammerdocuseries about the actor and his mega-rich family. Stating that “the power dynamics were off” in the relationships, Hammer admitted “one million percent” to being emotionally abusive toward both women.

I would have these younger women in their mid-20s, and I’m in my 30s. 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.

G/O Media may get a commission

Rock on

Sock Affairs

Officially-licensed socksSock Affairs wants you to enrobe your feet in their officially licensed socks with art from Pink Floyd and AC/DC records.

But Hammer denies rape allegations made against him by one of his accusers (known online as Effie, of the Instagram account House Of Effie), which produced an LAPD sexual assault investigation against him back in March of 2021. (The LA District Attorney’s office appears to have opted not to move forward with a case.) Hammer says he’s currently spending time with his kids, and, after a rehab stint (reportedly paid for in part by Robert Downey Jr.), serving as a sober companion for another person in recovery.

[via Variety]