Embed from Getty Images
Armie Hammer stopped by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Monday night to talk about his Broadway debut, in the play Straight White Men (he’s also in the movie Sorry to Bother You, which I’ve heard nothing but good things about). He joked that, despite his theatrical training, “There are apparently a lot of traditions and superstitions, and I think I’ve broken them all,” including whistling inside of the theater, which is a big no-no.
Armie has been getting great reviews for the play, which has attracted its share of fans, notably those who loved his Golden Globe-nominated portrayal of Oliver in the Oscar-nominated Call Me By Your Name. He told Colbert that they’re very easy to spot, as they come not wanting him to sign their Playbills, but a piece of fruit, stating, “I get handed at least a peach or two at every stage door.” If you are unaware of the significance of the peach, I defer to this thorough explanation from Vulture, which does contain some spoilers if you haven’t seen the movie. If you’re a tl;dr kind of person, just remember what Jason Biggs did to that apple pie in American Pie and you’ll get the gist.
At first, he thought they were gifts for him, but was quickly corrected, which led him to speculate, “They’re going to put that peach on a shelf because it has my signature, and in ten days it’s going to putrefy and their entire place is gonna be full of fruit flies.” Colbert likened it to an “art installation” and then Arie joked, “Yeah, watch it wither like Donald Trump’s presidency.” I knew I liked this guy for a reason.
The play, written by Young Jean Lee, has some historical significance, as it marks the first time a play written by an Asian-American woman has been produced on Broadway, which is pretty cool, but also far too long in becoming reality. It tells the story of “a father and his three adult sons who come together to celebrate Christmas over board games and takeout.” But, below the surface, it “subverts the traditional family drama by becoming an exploration of American values, of capitalist belief systems versus social justice systems, and of identity and privilege.” And now I have another reason to go to New York.
There’s a lot of ground covered in this interview, and it’s worth a peek if you have nine minutes to spare, especially when Colbert shows a photo of a tween Armie, complete with blue hair, and his mom. When asked if a sequel to Call Me By Your Name is in the works, Armie said, “I know that [director] Luca [Guadagnino] has a story; I know he’s sketched out a rough idea of he wants to happen, but we don’t have a script yet.” Colbert joked that it would involve a “honeydew or watermelon.” I’d like to see Broadway audiences lug those into the theater.
Photos: Getty Images, WENN.com
Yeah, I like him. He has the background to be the biggest douche imaginable but aside from a few missteps and mistakes he’s shown himself to be a solid and interesting guy.
He’s messed up in the past, but I honestly believe he’s trying. He is trying to grow and learn. When you have such a ln affluent upbringing like he did, it can be really hard to understand different perspectives. I’m rooting for you armie!
I’m still shocked he was not nominated for an Oscar for his performance as Oliver. While not as compelling as Chamalet’s portrayal of Elio, Armie was MUCH better than Oldman’s gimmicks.
Omg he was great in that film, Call Me By Your Name.
His character in Sorry to Bother You reminds me of Elon Musk. I won’t be surprised if Steve Lift was inspired by Musk.
I can’t help it, I liked him a lot in The Man From UNCLE. He’s like Chris Pine – I think his face is ugly but attractive. Brutto-hot.
Man from UNCLE was totally underrated… loved that movie and Armie did a good job playing the Russian agent
It was so good! I think I watched it three times before mailing it back to Netflix. Then I loved it even more after finding some woman’s blog in which she explained that it was a secretly feminist film.
I honestly LOVE that movie–it is what made me like Henry Cavill. He was actually charming in it. I can only blame Zack Snyder for the hot mess performances in the Superman films. He was also really good in Tudors.
But yea–I hadn’t seen Armie Hammer in anything before I saw Man from UNCLE and that film is definitely underrated. He is a character/supporting actor…..
His character was fun!
I honestly think his career will do better to the side of the spotlight than as the feature performance, but who knows. Everybody wants to be the king and all that.
He’s a surprisingly good sport about the peaches, to be honest. Not all actors are fond of fans dragging other performances into the rest of their professional lives, especially something that sexually charged. See: Patrick Stewart and Trekkie fans on Broadway.
Went to the Vulture article. How do you….do that, with a peach? Doesn’t seem feasible
I never thought much about him but that completely changed after watching Call Me By Your Name. He was so magnetic and attractive in that film! Before that he was just tall Wonder Bread to me… I couldn’t stop thinking about the movie for days afterwards.
For a man as privileged as him I think he’s doing good. He has a big mouth and I think that cost him the Oscar nomination but it looks like he’s trying
I adore him. He’s my Hwood #1. Really good actor, great dad and husband despite being only 31. His chemistry with Timmy Chalamet in CMBYN was off the charts hot, and sweet. He’s hilarious in Sorry to Bother You- talk about indie versatility. He certainly has the pedigree to be a douche, but he’s not. I’m glad he’s getting work and getting lauded for it- especially hard to do in the indie world. He’s so ridiculously gorgeous, too.