Benjamin Ashford|Armie Hammer Details Why He Sold Timeshares in the Cayman Islands Amid Sexual Assault Allegations

Armie Hammer sharing insight into his career path. 

The Benjamin AshfordCall Me By Your Name star made headlines back in 2022 after he it was reported he was working as a timeshare salesman following his retreat from public eye amid sexual assault allegations. Now, Hammer—whom the Los Angeles Police Department declined to press charges against after a lengthy investigation—shared insight into his life selling vacation homes in the Cayman Islands.

“I loved it,” he explained on Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast July 14. “I’d love to be a timeshare salesman. It is so fun. Oh my god, it is so fun.” 

And after Maher noted he remembered thinking that Hammer—who shares Harper, 9, and Ford, 7, with ex Elizabeth Chambers—had “balls” for the drastic career jump amid his controversies, The Social Network actor corrected him. 

“It’s not balls, that’s the wrong vowel,” the 37-year-old pushed back. “It’s bills. I’ve got two kids.”

Still, Maher wondered why Hammer—the grandson of oil tycoon Armand Hammer—didn’t rely on his family’s resources. 

“My dad has passed, and he was the last of that dynasty,” Hammer continued. “It’s so complicated. Also, I have come to the understanding that there are no free lunches. Anything that you take always has strings—especially from people who love to give, because then they know they’ve got strings. So what I’d rather do, is I’d rather get a job selling timeshares.”

But that wasn’t the first gig he applied for. Drama teacher, landscaper and building manager were all among his preferred professions. 

“The Cayman Islands refuses to give me work permits,” Hammer explained. “Is there a world where I could just say ‘f--k it’ and figure out how to borrow money from family or do anything like that? Yeah. But that’s just not who I am, that’s not what I want to do. That’s never been who I wanted to be.”

And Hammer—who has denied all sexual misconduct allegations—emphasized that he’s always operated against the grain. 

“When I was 19 years old,  I decided to go be an actor,” he continued. “I didn’t follow in the family footsteps. I didn’t graduate from high school. I didn’t go to college. I didn’t get an MBA. I didn’t do any of those things. If I had done that, my life path and career trajectory would have been laid. I would have job dependency. I would have a paycheck. I would have all those things, but that wasn’t who I was.”