Armie Hammer Describes His Intense Relationship with 'Call Me By Your Name' Director Luca Guadagnino

Call Me by Your Name, which opens November 24, is an intense emotional drama that charts the relationship between Italian-American teen Elio Perlman (Timothée Chalamet) and Oliver (Armie Hammer), an an older American student living in his family's home. But behind the scenes of this gut-wrenching romance, real heartbreak was brewing—between Hammer and his director, Luca Guadagnino.

That revelation is made in a Vulture profile of the actor, who might be best known for his portrayal of the Winklevoss twins in 2010's The Social Network. He has appeared in a few failed blockbusters (Prince Andrew Alcott in Mirror Mirror, the titular character in The Lone Ranger), but the 31-year-old actor is smartly moving towards indie films. He said his experience with Guadagnino was unlike anything he's ever felt. "I've never had such an emotional journey with a director," said Hammer. "I don't even know if I've worked with a director who even cared if I was mad at them before."

Hammer did get mad at Guadagnino, best known for his films I Am Love and A Bigger Splash, and Guadagnino cared.

Hammer became emotionally distant near the end of the shoot, and he became angry and jealous when Guadagnino began moving on to his next film, Suspiria. "I was like, 'You fucking philanderer! You duplicitous bastard!'" said Hammer. "And that made me pull away, and then he did, and it turned into this whole thing." He added, "Honestly, I think I had fallen in love with Luca."

For his part, Guadagnino denied he ever put Suspiria, a horror film currently in post-production, ahead of Call Me By Your Name. "Sometimes, this emotional flow can be very intense. Very! As it was with Armie. And then it can be very complicated." The director ended up inviting Hammer to his apartment, determined to mend the rift that had developed between the two on set. "He basically nailed me, nailed me, nailed me," Hammer said. "And I was pretending: 'No, man, that's not it at all.'"

The way both parties describe the conflict and subsequent resolution reads very much like a love story, though it was platonic. Hammer has two children with his wife of seven years, Elizabeth Chambers. But since wrapping production, Hammer has returned to Italy to visit Luca's apartment. He admitted to Vulture reporter Kyle Buchanan that he feels like Elio, "still in love" with his time on the Call Me by Your Name set.

This poignant and unusual profile ends there, leaving readers with questions. But as Elio and Oliver reveal movingly on screen—and Armie and Luca demonstrate in real life—love comes in many different forms. And it's always complicated.