There are a number of scenes from Luca Guadagnino's recent masterpiece Call Me By Your Name that have stuck in viewers minds long after leaving the theaters with tear-streaked cheeks. That sex scene, which unexpectedly involves a peach, and the final, impactful shot that shows Elio (Timothée Chalamet) staring into the fire while a fly sits on his face are two key parts of the movie that many have been unable to shake. Yet, for one of the movie's stars, Armie Hammer, the moment in the film that has had the greatest effect on him was neither of those now-iconic scenes. Instead, it was the emotion-filled monologue that Michael Stuhlbarg, who plays Elio's father, delivers toward the end of the movie.
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While participating in The Hollywood Reporter's most recent Actor Roundtable, Hammer was asked if he has ever played a role or performed a line that stuck with him for years. To this, the actor explained that the film moment that has had the deepest impact on his life wasn't delivered by him. He said, "Michael Stuhlbarg has a speech in Call Me by Your Name, and it’s one of the most beautiful monologues I have ever seen in my life, and it truly changed the way that I’m going to parent my children, the way I look at people, everything."
It makes sense that Stuhlbarg's monologue, which is all about unconditional love, total acceptance, and understanding, would have an impact on Hammer, a father of two. Stuhlbarg's character and his powerful monologue have been praised by many for showing a father figure that breaks away from the unemotional authoritarians we're used to seeing in films.
Of the role and the monologue in particular, Stuhlbarg has said, "I’d hate to think of acceptance as strictly a feminine trait. I delighted and reveled in the things I got to say, because I felt that they were things that needed to be heard. He’s a very special father who at the same time offers up information to his son when his son needs to hear it. At the same time, [he] seemed wise enough to keep his distance to let his son go through what he needed to go through, yet remind him at the same time that he was present for him. It was a wonderful balance that I got to ride throughout. I loved what I got to say, and I’m glad it was said — by him." With that description, why wouldn't Hammer want to work toward emulating Stuhlbarg's character with his own parenting style?
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