Armie Hammer Unwittingly Inspired 1 U.S. Team to Win an Olympic Gold for the First Time in 60 Years Due to His 3 Oscars Winning Film
- Armie Hammer played the role of Winklevoss twins in The Social Network.
- His character inspired Olympic Gold winner Justin Best to take up rowing.
- Hammer faced various allegations by his ex-girlfriends around abuse and harassment.
While many people would recognize the dashing Armie Hammer from the poignant love story Call Me By Your Name, the actor has many more credits to his name. Hammer may have begun his career with small roles in television shows and movies, but he has built his craft from scratch and garnered massive recognition for his acting.
The 37-year-old actor also has some negative controversies and drama to his name, but he prefers to let his work speak for itself. From Hotel Mumbai and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. to Death on the Nile and The Social Network, his diverse filmography has managed to enthrall fans for a long time. What’s more, his work has not just impacted cinephiles but also athletes, one of whom has won an Olympic Gold for the country.
Rower Justin Best credits one Armie Hammer role in helping him win Olympic Gold
It all started one day when rower Justin Best’s parents watched The Social Network. Based on a few real-life accounts of how Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook came to be, the movie has various secondary characters who shaped Zuckerberg’s life and helped him get where he is today. One of the most controversial aspects of the story was the lawsuit by Zuckerberg’s former friends who claimed that he stole their idea.
The movie also features the Winklevoss twins who participated in the 2008 Olympic Games. Armie Hammer portrayed the twin characters and eventually inspired Best to take up rowing. In The Social Network, the twins had a remarkable rowing career and they even went on to sue Zuckerberg for stealing their idea. The movie won three Oscar awards for its exceptional storytelling and background score. Talking about finding his calling, Best recalled,
So I was in between sports and I was going into my freshman year of high school and I had gotten a concussion in football and I was like, ‘No more football.’ So my parents were watching The Social Network one summer night. And obviously the Winklevoss twins are portrayed, and they are rowers by nature. And so my parents were like, ‘Hey, Justin has a similar body type to the actor who portrayed them.’
Soon, Best’s parents started searching for clubs and teams where Best could learn how to row to be a part of the national team eventually. Best was eventually enrolled to Newport Rowing Club where he found his love for rowing and he has never looked back since. The rower has won his first Gold Medal in the Olympics. More than that, the American team has managed to bag Gold in the sport after 60 long years. A celebratory achievement, indeed!
Armie Hammer’s career took a hit due to a Scandalous Case
Hollywood can often be unforgiving, especially when some lawsuit or serious allegations are involved. 2021 saw such an unfortunate situation for Armie Hammer who faced charges of rape and cannibalism that led to him being ostracized by the industry. Nobody was willing to give him any good roles or projects to work on. The Social Network was his breakout role, but everything stood at a standstill for the actor henceforth.
Even Cannibal Scandal Couldn’t Bring Armie Hammer Down as ‘Cars 3’ Star Aims for Career Resurrection
The docuseries House of Hammer talks about the actor’s trajectory and life after the allegations. He firmly denied all the accusations but took responsibility for being a selfish person in relationships. Only after the dust settled and the investigation yielded no concrete evidence against Hammer that the people start becoming more open to the possibility that the actor is innocent. Reportedly, Hammer is working on a script akin to his life that will soon be made into a movie.
House of Hammer is streaming on Discovery+.
