Last month, actor Armie Hammer started trending on Twitter. He hadn't given an award-worthy performance. He hadn't drawn attention for an act of philanthropy. The interest in the Call Me By Your Name star spiked for something far more strange. DMs alleged to be 'from the actor' surfaced, with Armie claiming to numerous people that he is a cannibal and likes drinking blood. Needless to say, it was a bit of a nasty surprise for people searching on Twitter to find that he was trending.
Before jumping wholeheartedly into judgment, it's important to note that even one month later we don't know entirely whether the DMs are real. There is a lot of speculation that the screen grabs in question could have been edited, manipulated, or they might not have been sent by Hammer at all. The actor's direct messages were not verified, prompting users to say they looked fake, according to a report from Just Jared. And there is a screenshot from the person who originally circulated, posted the alleged DMs saying that they are fake. Then, even more confusingly, some are saying that this screenshot isn’t real either. Armie himself addressed the claims, strenuously denying any wrongdoing. He resigned from a new film, in which he was supposed to star with Jennifer Lopez.
But the story continued. Over the weekend, there have been reports that Armie's publicity teams have resigned. Speculation is rife that this is an act of jumping ship before a new scandal. There are whispers of a newspaper éxpose in the works concerning the claims of women who have known him. There are even bizarre glimpses of hearsay doing the rounds online that suggest that Armie Hammer is guilty of something far more sinister. Naturally, we recommend disregarding such things: the police - not Twitter detectives - would be involved if there was evidence of such a crime.
Regardless of the veracity of the initial claims, this is not the first time that Armie has been linked with stories surrounding such topics. In 2017 the Call Me By Your Name actor made headlines when he liked a series of tweets about bondage.
Armie, 34, and estranged wife Elizabeth Chambers, 38, split last July after 10 years of marriage. They have two children, daughter Harper, six, and son Ford, three. This year he promised 'as a New Years resolution I will not be posting pictures of my children for their safety and for their well-being.'
Last October, the actor said that he wanted a Call Me By Your Name sequel - but not for a while at least. 'So many people are emotionally invested in Call Me by Your Name that, if we made a second one now, no matter what, you're just setting yourself up for failure,' he told Collider. 'If you give us time and I can come back in my 40s, and [Timothée Chalamet] is 23, then we can make it.' Timothée Chalamet and Armie do seem to still be friends: Timothée is still following him on Instagram, at least.
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