Yahoo News Armie Hammer Says He Came Close to ‘Losing My Mind’ in Lockdown Before Divorce
Vivien Killilea/Getty Armie Hammer
Armie Hammer is opening up about his experience being locked down in the Cayman Islands during the initial months of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
In a new interview with British GQ, the Call Me by Your Name star recalled being stuck with his family in the Caribbean islands, which went from a tropical paradise to "draconian lockdown."
"The experience sucked so badly. The island itself handled the situation really efficiently, but they also handled it in a really intense way. It was a very draconian lockdown. They wouldn’t fly anywhere, or at least not to America," Hammer said. "Everything was closed. I mean, everything – the gas stations, the grocery stores… Everyone just locked themselves in their house. If you’re out and they see you, you go to jail for a year. I am not kidding. One guy violated curfew by five minutes and they put them in jail for four months. They were not f------ around."
RELATED: Elizabeth Chambers Files for Divorce from Armie Hammer, Cites Irreconcilable Differences
Hammer said he was at his dad's apartment with his now-estranged wife Elizabeth Chambers, their two kids, daughter Harper Grace, 5, and son Ford Douglas Armand, 3, and his father's wife.
Backgrid Armie Hammer and Elizabeth Chambers
"We’d be looking out at the ocean, but couldn’t go in the ocean; looking at the beach, but couldn’t go on the beach. We couldn’t leave the apartment, couldn’t go in the pool, couldn’t do anything. So it was a really concentrated family time, which is really great with the kids, but it was intense," the actor explained.
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Hammer admitted that he, personally, did not handle the situation well, saying that he "came very close to completely losing" his mind.
"It was a very complicated, intense situation, with big personalities all locked in a little tiny place. It was tough, man. I’d never dealt with anything like that before in my life, so I didn’t have the tools. It was just this thing that snuck up on everybody," Hammer said.
The Social Network star added, "I don’t think I handled it very well. I think, to be quite frank, I came very close to completely losing my mind. I just felt completely powerless. And I was on an island where the lockdown was so severe that mail couldn’t even come in. I felt so intensely trapped, like a wolf who got caught in a snare and wants to chew his own foot off. I was just like, 'I can’t do this. Get me out of here.'"
To cope, Hammer began seeing a therapist twice a week, which he said gave him "a fresh perspective and it was incredibly helpful."
While in quarantine, Hammer and Chambers decided to split after 10 years of marriage. Chambers later filed for divorce on July 10, citing irreconcilable differences. The journalist and entrepreneur, who married Hammer in May 2010, asked the court to grant her primary physical custody of the children, along with joint legal custody for her and the singer.
Hammer returned stateside shortly before their July separation while Chambers remains in the Cayman Islands with their two kids. The children recently started school on the island.
Elizabeth Chambers/Instagram
The former couple shared news of their split in identical statements shared on their Instagram accounts, writing, "Thirteen years as best friends, soulmates, partners and then parents."
"It has been an incredible journey, but together, we’ve decided to turn the page and move on from our marriage," the statement continued, "As we enter into this next chapter, our children and relationship as co-parents and dear friends will remain our priority. We understand this news lends itself to public dialogue, but in the interest of our children and our family, we’re asking for privacy, compassion and love during this time."
