Armie Hammer: I was a**hole, d**k but not criminal, on Louis Theroux podcast

Entertainment: Armie Hammer opens up about past behavior, cannibalism allegations, and the impact of cancel culture in a revealing interview on The Louis Theroux Podcast.

Hammer Acknowledges Past Misdeeds

In a candid conversation on The Louis Theroux Podcast, actor Armie Hammer reflected on his past behavior towards women, admitting to being "selfish, inconsiderate, an a**hole, and a cad". He acknowledged using people to feel better, engaging in "love bombing," and quickly moving on to new relationships, leaving a trail of anger behind him. While admitting to being a "dick," Hammer insisted that his behavior, though morally questionable, was not illegal. He said, "People were sort of like my bags of dope with skin on them. You make me feel amazing, so I'm going to throw everything into this, and we're going to have this whirlwind romance, and I'm going to whisk you up, and we're going to go on trips, and we're going to do all this, and then I'm going to bring you home and I'm going to go, 'Thanks so much, that was great,' and then I'm going to move on".

Addressing Cannibalism Claims: "Never Any Intention"

Hammer addressed the highly publicized cannibalism allegations, calling them "the greatest thing that ever happened to me". He stated, "You know what you have to do to actually be a cannibal? You have to actually eat human flesh. So no". While confirming he sent provocative messages that leaked online, he claimed they were "digitally altered evidence" lacking context and maintained he never had any intention of harming or eating anyone. Hammer said, "Did I ever have any intention of cutting anything off of anyone or eating anything off of anyone? No. There was never really anything that I wanted. Was it fun to joke about if I was stoned or drunk or like laughing as I was typing these messages? Sure”. He also confirmed a story about taking a bite of an animal heart during a hunting trip as a "rite of passage".

Rejecting Cancel Culture and Embracing Change

Hammer argued that his past behavior has been "conflated" by cancel culture. When asked about working with Woody Allen, Hammer stated he doesn't "buy into any of the cancel, we need to this and that". Hammer said that facing accusations ultimately became "the greatest thing that ever happened" to him. "It killed off all of the ego. It killed off all of the bulls**t," he said.Hammer reflected: “It killed off all of the ego. It killed off all of the bulls***. It killed off all of the pretense. And I spent three years and change really having to examine myself and really having to look at myself and really having to go ‘woosh’ to all of the external validation that I was getting. Not only did it go away, it turned into global hate”.