In the three-part Discovery+ docuseries “House of Hammer,” about allegations against actor Armie Hammer, someone makes a sharp observation: “Nobody cared about anything but the word ‘cannibal.’” That’s because text messages — allegedly from Hammer (who declined to be interviewed for the series) to women with whom he was intimate — were made public last year, in which he talks about his cannibalistic fantasies. But those interviewed for the series are clear about other concerning aspects of his personal conduct they describe as manipulative, coercive, violent, abusive and possibly criminal.
“House of Hammer” also delves into the backstory of the Hammer family itself, a saga of power and wealth going back several generations. Casey Hammer, who is Armie Hammer’s aunt, provides her own account of the family’s dynamics and inner workings, and why the allegations against her nephew sound, in her words, “familiar.”
Hammer first came to prominence playing the double role of twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss in the 2010 Facebook origin story “The Social Network,” later gaining a higher profile for his performance in 2017′s “Call Me By Your Name.” But by early 2021, in the wake of allegations first aired on social media, he was dropped from upcoming projects — and by his representatives as well.
