"Good things only happen after you've been through hell." Armie Hammer, who was accused of cannibalism and violence, said he was "never happier"
37-year-old actor Armie Hammer told Bill Maher's YouTube show Club Random that after the allegations of violence and cannibalism, he feels "happier than ever before." At the same time, he notes that his financial situation leaves much to be desired: after he was "canceled" and his career was destroyed, the actor was left broke.
He said the charges brought against him and the subsequent investigation were a "brutal experience" but taught him a lot. "Good things only happen after you go through hell."
"Someone can look at me and say, 'You're in a completely different place financially than you've ever been in your life.' I look at it and think, 'Yeah, and you know, it's taught me that I don't need this because I've never been happier in my life,'" Hammer says.
According to him, his previous lifestyle could have ended tragically for him. "I know that in the end it would have led to one result - death," says the actor, best known for his role in the film "Call Me by Your Name", in which he starred with Timothée Chalamet.
"I was making a lot of money. I was drinking a lot. I was doing drugs. I was partying. I was very careless about what I was texting. And my behavior was also risky and, if you think about it, stupid," he says.
The actor calls his "cancellation" "liberating." "A lot of my life before this was about how people perceived me, and now I don't have to worry about that. Once everyone decides they hate you, you're like, 'Oh, well, I don't need anything from you then. I guess I just need to learn to be happy with myself.' And then you do, and it's fucking amazing."
Armie Hammer was charged in 2021, when leaked sex chats of the actor in which he discussed BDSM practices with women were leaked online. Hammer was married at the time. Other stories about the actor's sexual preferences later surfaced. His preferences included physical and psychological violence against women and dreams of cannibalism; he also had a "pain room" that he set up at home. Hammer initially denied the charges, but his secret Instagram account* was later found, in which he discussed sex and drugs.
The actor then came forward and admitted his involvement in the allegations. However, he said he had never forced women to do anything against their will. Hammer later went to rehab for treatment for sex addiction. The actor was also charged with sexual assault, but these were later dropped.
Because of the scandal, Hammer lost his career: all contracts with him were terminated and he had to work in real estate in the Cayman Islands. In addition, after the accusations, he also lost his family: his wife Elizabeth Chambers left him, saying that she had no idea about her husband's inclinations. The divorce was followed by legal proceedings: the ex-spouses decided the issues of custody of their two children.
He previously claimed that after the scandal his life collapsed and he even wanted to commit suicide.
*Instagram is owned by Meta, an organization recognized as extremist in Russia
