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*The following article contains discussion of sexual assault.
Few Hollywood falls from grace have been as rapid and precipitous as actor Armie Hammer's, who went from being the star of an Oscar-nominated film in 2017 to a pariah in just four short years amid multiple allegations of sexual assault and mental abuse.
The accusations against Hammer are nothing short of shocking, even for post-#MeToo Hollywood, including rape, physical abuse and a sexual obsession with cannibalism.
If that sounds far-fetched to you, you're certainly not alone--but a member of Hammer's family is speaking out about the allegations, and she "wasn't shocked" by them in the least.
In a new interview, Armie Hammer's aunt Casey says Armie's abuses are "learned behavior" that is typical for male members of the Hammer clan, as she reveals in the new Discovery+ series House of Hammer she developed about her family.
\u201cAhead of the broadcast of documentary "House of Hammer," actor Armie Hammer's aunt Casey says she "wasn't shocked" by the abuse allegations against her nephew.\u201d— AP Entertainment (@AP Entertainment) 1662023261
Casey Hammer described Armie Hammer's as part of a long family pattern.
“You don't just wake up one morning and become a monster, it’s a learned behavior."
"It's something that I believe, based on my experience, I saw it from one generation to another and it just gets worse and worse and worse. So that's why I wasn't shocked."
Casey Hammer went on to place the allegations against her nephew in the context of a family history of erratic and even criminal behavior by men vying for control and approval that began with the family's oil-baron patriarch Armand Hammer, Armie Hammer's great-grandfather.
“You had my grandfather, my father, my brother [Armie Hammer's father], all vying for control, all vying to get my grandfather's attention out in public."
"My father was in and out of mental institutions and things needed to be covered up. He murdered someone and my grandfather turned that around and made it self defense and covered it up..."
"...[M]y grandfather had a lot of money, so he could control what was reported and what wasn't... [H]e hosted parties, hosted royalty, heads of state, presidents, movie stars..."
"...[E]veryone wanted to be on that guest list, and the people that were, didn't talk about what really happened inside.”
And when it comes to women, Casey Hammer described the men in her family as having particularly troubling views.
“Women in my family were disposable, we were ornaments."
"I was told that as long as I behaved and looked pretty and said the right things and didn't embarrass my family, that I would be taken care of for the rest of my life. So that's basically how, from my grandfather down, they viewed women."
Casey says his approach toward women included sexual abuse, which she suffered at the hands of her father Julian Hammer throughout her childhood, an experience she said "almost killed me a million times."
On Twitter, many applauded Casey Hammer for speaking out.
\u201c#HouseOfHammer on Discovery + is a wild ride I never saw coming. Armie Hammer comes from a long line of corrupt, deviant, and dangerous men & it seems each generation gets worse. Casey Hammer is the true hero for speaking out about her family\u2019s sordid history. Go watch!\u201d— Blocked by Big Ed The Mucinex Snot\ud83e\udda0 (@Blocked by Big Ed The Mucinex Snot\ud83e\udda0) 1662260411
\u201cJust watching this documentary now and OMFG! What a sick sick family. \nThose poor women and thank god they are talking about this, along with his aunt.\u201d— Little_Missy2. MA. History\ud83d\udc1d\ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc73\udb40\udc63\udb40\udc74\udb40\udc7f\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udf39 (@Little_Missy2. MA. History\ud83d\udc1d\ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc73\udb40\udc63\udb40\udc74\udb40\udc7f\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udf39) 1662131628
\u201cSecrets kill & require the cover of darkness & silence.\u201d— Raelin Saindon, \u262e\ufe0f M.S. Forensic Psych (@Raelin Saindon, \u262e\ufe0f M.S. Forensic Psych) 1661966190
\u201cWho the hell leaves loaded guns around the houses and shoots at their daughter?\n\nI'm so glad Casey Hammer got out when she did!\n\n#HouseOfHammer\u201d— \ud83c\udf83\ud835\udc7a\ud835\udc6a\ud835\udc68\ud835\udc79\ud835\udc6c-\ud835\udc6a\ud835\udc79\ud835\udc76\ud835\udc7e\ud835\udc6a\ud835\udc73\ud835\udc7c\ud835\udc69 \ud83c\udf83 (@\ud83c\udf83\ud835\udc7a\ud835\udc6a\ud835\udc68\ud835\udc79\ud835\udc6c-\ud835\udc6a\ud835\udc79\ud835\udc76\ud835\udc7e\ud835\udc6a\ud835\udc73\ud835\udc7c\ud835\udc69 \ud83c\udf83) 1662399531
\u201cAnyone else watched this documentary yet?\nI watched it yesterday, it was a chilling.\n\nCasey Hammer reminds me of Mary Trump telling the truth about family.\n\nArmie Hammer's aunt opens up about her family's dark past, patterns of abuse https://t.co/f7axWRQSVT\u201d— Rhonda (@Rhonda) 1662210452
\u201cI wish I could give Casey Hammer a big hug. It wouldn\u2019t change anything other than she\u2019d know I believe her.\u201d— Scott Frazer (@Scott Frazer) 1662333660
But some were skeptical of Casey Hammer's motives, especially given her high-level involvement in House of Hammer's creation.
\u201ccw: abuse, exploitation, armie hammer\n\nthis doc is literally championed by hammer's broke aunt who I think is trying to capitalize off the attention.\u201d— built like regret\ud83e\udee0\ud83e\udee5\ud83d\udca9 (@built like regret\ud83e\udee0\ud83e\udee5\ud83d\udca9) 1662176301
\u201cJust watched #HouseOfHammer. I am not defending anybody & I am sure there was/is a lot of sex, alcohol & entitled men in this family but I have a feeling that the aunt (Casey Hammer ?) & the main woman accusing Armie Hammer (Courtney Vucekovich ?) are suspicious & deceptive.\u201d— KyKy \u0669(\u0361\u0e4f\u032f\u0361\u0e4f)\u06f6 \ud83c\udf83\ud83d\udc80\ud83c\udf41\ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6\ud83d\udc31\ud83c\udff4\u200d\u2620\ufe0f (@KyKy \u0669(\u0361\u0e4f\u032f\u0361\u0e4f)\u06f6 \ud83c\udf83\ud83d\udc80\ud83c\udf41\ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6\ud83d\udc31\ud83c\udff4\u200d\u2620\ufe0f) 1662260166
\u201ccreepy: Armie Hammer\nalso creepy: his aunt's movie about him\u201d— a pleasing stream of the old rancid (@a pleasing stream of the old rancid) 1662235331
\u201cI just want an exposer/whistleblower to come forth that is NOT being compen$ated, in any monetary way. \ud83d\ude4f\n Armie Hammer's Aunt 'Wasn't Shocked' by Abuse Allegations Based on Her 'Experiences' with Her Family - People https://t.co/Ifx01dh5tk\u201d— ~*Denise*~ \u271d\ufe0f\ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\udffb\u262e\ufe0f (@~*Denise*~ \u271d\ufe0f\ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\udffb\u262e\ufe0f) 1662058932
Armie Hammer denies the allegations against him, and insists that all sexual encounters between him and his partners have been consensual.
If you or someone you know experienced sexual assault, help is out there. You can reach the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline by calling 1-800-656-4673, use their Live Chat tool: https://www.rainn.org/get-help, or visit the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.
In Canada, help is available through the Ending Violence Association of Canada website.
International resources can be found through the Rape Crisis Network Europe website.