Armie Martelo has opened up about the allegations that derailed his Hollywood career, saying he is now “grateful” for everything he has been through in the last three years.
During an interview at “Painful lessons” podcast, Hammer reflected on the cannibalism allegations that surrounded him in 2021, calling the situation “hilarious.”
“People called me a cannibal and everyone believed me. They’re like, ‘Yeah, that guy ate people,'” Hammer said with a laugh. “Like what? What are you talking about? Do you know what you have to do to be a cannibal? You have to eat people! How am I supposed to be a cannibal?! It was bizarre.”
Hammer was accused in 2021 of sexual abuse and inappropriate behavior by multiple women; Private messages he allegedly sent to women about his cannibalistic fantasies and sexual fetishes were also leaked online. Following the scandal, Hammer was dropped by his agency, WME, and left several projectsincluding the Paramount+ series “The Offer” and Jennifer Lopez’s “Shotgun Wedding.”
“Even in the discrepancies, in whatever people said, in whatever happened, I’m now at a point in my life where I’m grateful for every little bit of it,” Hammer said on the podcast.
The “Call Me by Your Name” actor added that he “never knew how to give myself love” or “self-validation” before the accusations because he “had a job where he got it from so many people. ”
“I’m actually now in a place where I’m very grateful for this, because that’s where I was in my life before all these things happened to me,” Hammer said. “I didn’t feel good. I never felt satisfied, I never had enough. I’ve never been in a place where I was happy with myself – where I had self-esteem.”
Hammer said the accusations caused “an ego death, a career death” and he eventually joined a 12-step program.
“It’s almost like a neutron bomb has gone off in my life,” he said. “It killed me, it killed my ego, it killed all the people around me who I thought were my friends and who weren’t — all those people, in the blink of an eye, were gone.
“But the buildings were still standing. I’m still here, I’m still healthy, and I’m very grateful for that.”
At the end of the podcast, Hammer admitted that his acting career is “nowhere” because he is “not a viable commodity” for the “Hollywood system.” However, he is creating his “own sandbox” as an artist by writing a script with a friend.
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