Armie Hammer knows how to be a lone ranger in the movies, so it shouldn't be too difficult for him to be one in real life.
Who knew his role in the blockbuster flop, The Lone Ranger, would prepare him for his unfortunate future. Now that the recent allegations against him have come to light, Hammer is on his own, so he must be putting all the things that helped him prepare for the character to use.
Before all the scandal though, Hammer's portrayal of the famous character was the only good thing to come out of The Lone Ranger, which went on to lose studios $150 million. The film might have flopped but it made him a big movie star, giving him his big break after smaller roles in The Social Network and J. Edgar, and gave him his first lead role. It also contributed heavily to his net worth.
John Reid opened to door for roles in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Call Me By Your Name. Hammer has always worked really hard to understand his characters, so Reid was no different. Here's how he got into character.
He Watched The Television Show On Repeat
After seeing Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone as a kid, Hammer knew he wanted to become an actor. Soon enough, he left high school and pursued acting. In between the beginning of his career and starring in The Lone Ranger when he was just 26, he'd already worked with Clint Eastwood, Leonardo DiCaprio, Julia Roberts, and David Fincher.
When he went up for John Reid, he had to audition a couple of times, but ultimately the director, Gore Verbinski knew he'd found his leading man.
"He’s like this classical leading man, and that’s not to say that he isn’t contemporary," Verbinski told the Providence Journal. "Armie’s tall, handsome, and genuine, and who doesn’t want to throw that into a meat grinder?"
This was Hammer's chance to truly show Hollywood what he was made of, so of course, he had to do anything in his power to get into character.
First, he got his hands on anything Lone Ranger-related and immersed himself in it all. For months, everything from The Lone Ranger radio and TV episodes, to the books, and comics helped him understand the lawman a little more.
Soon enough he was ready to bring some of what he learned into physically becoming the character. He started perfecting his gun-slinging with a six-shooter and practicing his horse-riding skills at a three-week "cowboy boot camp" at a ranch in New Mexico also helped get him into the right frame of mind.
"There was a lot of chafing involved before achieving the requisite callouses," Hammer told USA Today. "So there was a lot of saddle soreness."
When he first put on the mask and jumped on a horse, Hammer said, "In reality, what you're thinking is, 'Don't fall off, I'm gonna die.'" Nothing could have prepared him though for the 150-day shooting schedule and the extreme weather that happens in that part of the country.
Snow, torrential rain, and nearby forest fires added to the already growing problems for the film, which had to cut costs in every direction.
The stunts proved to be challenging for Hammer as well. In the scene where he had to jump on the back of Silver, the horse accidentally moved, leaving Hammer to fall onto his back and elbows.
"I might have done some damage to my bursa sack in my right elbow," he told E! News. "I was supposed to jump onto a horse, and the horse saw me coming and moved out of the way, and I fell backwards onto my elbow."
"I had to lie there with the wind knocked out of me and just kind of go 'I don't think I'm a very good Lone Ranger,'" Hammer told the Providence Journal.
Hammer has experience with riding horses though. "I had that advantage," he told Rolling Stone. "I mean, I grew up kind of trail riding and arena riding and stuff like that. But never on top of buildings, so a different kind of riding than we did in the movie."
Even Though The Film Tanked, Hammer's Skills Came Shining Through
From the beginning, everyone knew the film would make Hammer a big star, even if the film failed.
"This movie is going to make him a big star," said producer Jerry Bruckheimer. "I just thought, 'That guy looks like the Lone Ranger.' He's handsome and tall with this square jaw. He looks like a guy that came from the Old West."
Hammer, not yet used to fame, appreciated the fact that his character's mask covered up his identity in advertisements.
"Fortunately, though -- I’m kind of relying on this -- I’m wearing masks in so much of the advertising and stuff, so that it’s probably not like, 'Hey, that’s the guy,'" he explained. "I’m not excited about [the fame]. I don’t even like talking about it. I feel disgusted with myself if I even just say the term ‘my fans.'"
Hammer wasn't concealed forever though. His good looks and talent had a lasting effect on fans and critics, at the time.
"With his striking blue eyes, square jaw, and 6-foot-5 Adonis frame, Hammer clearly has the good-looks department covered. And his acting turns, though so far limited to a handful of smaller roles, have been notable enough to grab the attention of some prominent filmmakers," Variety wrote.
Hammer had promising talent after The Lone Ranger and continued to have success until the scandal he currently finds himself in. We don't know what will happen to Hammer's career, but he's already been dropped from or dropped out of projects himself since everything came out. Coincidentally, it seems like he and Depp are both lone rangers now, riding into exile together just like their characters.