In 2021, Armie Hammer was accused of being a cannibal. Now, he says he's 'grateful' for it.

Content warning: This story includes descriptions of sexual assault that may be distressing to some readers.

It sounds strange to feel 'grateful' for being called a cannibal, but it seems Hollywood 'golden boy' turned disgraced actor Armie Hammer is.

Once a thriving Tinseltown presence with a beautiful family (wife Elizabeth Chambers and their two children), from the outside Hammer's life seemed perfect.

However, everything fell apart when multiple women accused him of sexual assault, physical abuse, and violent sexual fantasies, including cannibalism.

Watch: Armie Hammer tells the story of his 2011 arrest. Post continues below.

The acclaim he received for roles in films like Call Me By Your Name and Sorry to Bother You quickly vanished after an anonymous Instagram account posted what were alleged to be text messages from Hammer to various women, leading to the collapse of his career.

One of the texts he allegedly sent to a victim read, "I am 100 per cent a cannibal. I want to eat you."

His ex-girlfriends, Courtney Vucekovich and Julia Morrison, claimed they received text messages and voice notes from him, in which he discussed cannibalistic or violent fantasies involving them.

Vucekovich alleged that while the relationship started off well "things change" and he "pushes your boundaries a little bit at a time." She added that cannibalism was the only thing he "wanted to ever talk about."

She told Page Six, “He said to me he wants to break my rib and barbecue and eat it."

Another young woman, known as Effie, alleged to the publication that she thought he would kill her and that she was violently sexually assaulted. 

Following the claims, his wife swiftly filed for divorce, and Discovery+ released House of Hammer, a documentary that delved deeply into the allegations against him and his family.

Since his fall from grace, Hammer has largely stayed out of the public eye. However, he recently chose to address being labelled a "cannibal" and the "death" of his career on the Painful Lessons podcast.

"There were things that people were saying about me that just felt so outlandish… that I was a cannibal. Now I'm able to sort of look at it with a sense of distance and perspective and be like, 'that's hilarious.' Like, people called me a cannibal and everyone believed them," he said.

"How am I going to be a cannibal? It was bizarre, right?"

Screenshots of messages allegedly sent from Armie Hammer's Instagram account. 

In the interview, he didn't directly address the alleged messages, simply referring to them as 'indiscrepancies [sic]'. 

"I'm now at a place in my life where I'm really grateful for every single bit of it... I never was in a place where I was happy with myself," he said. 

The disgraced actor admitted that he initially felt "resentment" over his public downfall. Hammer said it, "was an ego death, a career death... A neutron bomb went off in my life. It killed off [everything]."

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Hammer has consistently maintained his innocence.

However, he has admitted to "power imbalances" in his relationships and acknowledged that could have swayed the women he was with to do things they might have otherwise not wanted.

“I would have these younger women in their mid-20s, and I’m in my 30s. I was a successful actor at the time,” he told Air Mail in early 2023. “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.”

Since the allegations Hammer hasn't been cast in any Hollywood productions. He is currently writing a screenplay with a friend.

The women who have made the claims against Hammer have spoken of the lasting impact of the behaviour they allege. 

"I lost interest in living," Effie told Page Six. "I just wanted the pain to stop."

"He sucks out all the goodness you have left," Vucekovich told the publication. "That’s what he did to me. I gave and gave and gave until it hurt."

Feature Image: Getty.

If this has raised any issues for you, or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, please call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service.

Mamamia is a charity partner of RizeUp Australia, a national organisation that helps women, children and families move on after the devastation of domestic and family violence. Their mission is to deliver life-changing and practical support to these families when they need it most. If you would like to support their mission you can donate here.