Armie Hammer says Robert Downey Jr. overcame the 'woke-mob' of cancel culture
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Lauren Edmonds
Feb 5, 2023, 07:33 IST
Armie Hammer broke his silence in an interview with Air Mail.Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
Air Mail published an interview with Armie Hammer on Saturday, his first since facing sexual abuse claims.
Hammer referenced Robert Downey Jr. while discussing cancel culture.
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Armie Hammer referenced Robert Downey Jr. while discussing cancel culture and the "woke mob" in his first interview since facing sexual abuse accusations.
Air Mail noted Vanity Fair reported in July 2022 that Hammer received financial support from Downey Jr. following the allegations and swift backlash. A source told the outlet that Downey Jr. paid for Hammer to spend six months at a rehab facility and allowed Hammer to live in one of his Los Angeles homes.
Hammer acknowledged that his career was likely over before mentioning Downey Jr. in his Air Mail interview, saying the veteran actor "found redemption through a new path."
"What I would say is this: There's examples of people who went through really difficult times and experienced what [the author] Joseph Campbell would call 'the hero's death.' And the hero must die so the hero can be reborn again," Hammer said.
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Hammer continued that Downey Jr. is an example of someone "who went through those things and found redemption through a new path."
"And that, I feel like, is what's missing in this cancel-culture, woke-mob business. The minute anyone does anything wrong, they're thrown away. There's no chance for rehabilitation. There's no chance for redemption. Someone makes a mistake, and we throw them away like a broken disposable camera," Hammer told the outlet. "Robert and others are examples of what it looks like for a human being to experience pain and then growth. And that aspect of it is something that I aspire to."
Hammer's attorney denied the allegations at the time, and Hammer echoed the statement in his interview with Air Mail, saying: "Every single thing was discussed beforehand. I have never thrust this on someone unexpectedly. Never."
Hammer acknowledged Vucekovich and Lorenze's allegations, telling the outlet "the power dynamics were off" and he should have considered how fame can affect consent.
"I had a very intense and extreme lifestyle and I would scoop up these women, bring them into it—into this whirlwind of travel and sex and drugs and big emotions flying around—and then as soon as I was done, I'd just drop them off and move on to the next woman, leaving that woman feeling abandoned or used," he told Air Mail.
"What that did for me was it introduced sexuality into my life in a way that it was completely out of my control," Hammer said. "I was powerless in the situation. I had no agency in the situation. My interests then went to: I want to have control in the situation, sexually."
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