The initial storm may have died down a little bit since the story first broke and proceeded to dominate the internet, but the damage already seems to have been done to Armie Hammer‘s career, whether or not the actor is a cannibal, as has been widely speculated for a while now.
Since the wild allegations first emerged, the 34 year-old was forced to drop out of action comedy Shotgun Wedding and Paramount’s The Offer. Not only that, but The Social Network star was also given the boot from Watergate anthology series Gaslit, while he was shown the door by both his talent agency and publicist for good measure.
Things certainly aren’t looking too positive for Hammer, then, and it seems they’re only getting worse. A woman identified as Effie has accused the actor today of rape, claiming that the alleged assault took place in April 2017, with Armie said to have “violently raped her” while repeatedly banging her head against a wall.
Effie also states that Hamer committed other “violent acts” against her and she feared he was going to kill her at one point, before he left with “no concern” for her well being.
“On April 24, 2017, Armie Hammer violently raped me for over four hours in Los Angeles,” she said. “During which he repeatedly slapped my head against a wall bruising my face. He also committed other acts of violence against me to which I did not consent.”
The woman claims she met Armie in 2016 and had an on-again, off-again relationship with him for several years. And she’s now coming forward with these allegations as she hopes to prevent others from “falling victim to him.”
“My hope in speaking out about the abuse I endured at the hands of Armie Hammer is that he will be held accountable. I feel immense guilt for not speaking out sooner, because I feel that I might have been able to save others from becoming victims. By speaking out today, I hope to prevent others from falling victim to him in the future. I want other survivors of sexual assault around the world to feel empowered and know that they are heard, believed, understood, supported, and loved.”
For his part, Hammer’s lawyers have denied Effie’s claims, saying that the relationship was “completely consensual, discussed and agreed upon in advance, and mutually participatory.” Nevertheless, the actor is now under investigation by the LAPD, reports Variety.
“We can confirm that Armie Hammer is the main suspect in an alleged sexual assault investigation that was initiated Feb. 3 of this year,” a spokesperson for the LAPD said.
As Deadline notes, the charges against the actor could find him facing up to 8 years in prison if he’s found guilty. It’s unclear right now if Armie Hammer has spoken directly with the LAPD yet since the investigation began, but obviously, he’s in pretty hot water at the moment and we’ll just have to wait and see how this all plays out for him.
