Armie Hammer condemns ‘bulls*** and vicious online attacks’ as he drops out of Jennifer Lopez movie

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Armie Hammer has stepped away from his role opposite Jennifer Lopez in the forthcoming feature Shotgun Wedding, a production spokesperson confirmed. The Rebecca star’s role will be recast.

“Given the imminent start date of Shotgun Wedding, Armie has requested to step away from the film and we support him in his decision,” the spokesperson confirmed to Variety.

Hammer was embroiled in a social-media scandal over the weekend after alleged direct messages surfaced that alluded to misconduct on the actor's part. Some of the actor's messages, which appeared flirtatious, even mentioned cannibalism.

The messages, according to Page Six, were leaked by an anonymous social media account by the name House of Effie. In them, Hammer appeared to be outlining some graphic sexual fantasies.

“I’m not responding to these bulls**t claims, but in light of the vicious and spurious online attacks against me, I cannot in good conscience now leave my children for four months to shoot a film in the Dominican Republic. Lionsgate is supporting me in this and I’m grateful to them for that,” Hammer said in a statement.

Read More: Rebecca review: Armie Hammer and Lily James are like two planks of wood in this dreary, garish adaptation

Hammer also has some upcoming film projects, including The Billion Dollar Spy, as well as a planned sequel to Call Me By Your Name. Hammer received a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe for his role in the 2017 coming-of-age feature about two young men who fall in love in 1980s Northern Italy.

The 34-year-old actor has spoken publicly about his sexual proclivities in the past. In 2013, he gave an interview to Playboy where he described himself as a “dominant lover”.

“I liked the grabbing of the neck and the hair and all that. But then you get married and your sexual appetites change," he said, referencing his now-estranged wife, Elizabeth Chambers. “And I mean that for the better – it’s not like I’m suffering in any way. But you can’t really pull your wife’s hair.

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“It gets to a point where you say, ‘I respect you too much to do these things that I kind of want to do.'"

The Social Network star later blamed the quote on having had too much to drink. “Let’s just say hindsight is 20/20,” Hammer told E! News. "Don’t drink during an interview.”