We Are Who We Are - here’s where you can spot him. A limited series airing on HBO, We Are Who We Are focuses largely on the friendship between Caitlin (Jordan Kristine Seamon) and Fraser (Jack Dylan Grazer), two teenagers living on an American military base in Italy. The show explores questions of identity and self-discovery, anchored by the two main characters who form a seemingly unlikely friendship.
The show is co-created and directed by Luca Guadagnino, who is best known for helming the acclaimed adaptation of Call Me By Your Name. In episode three, which is titled “Right here, right now #3”, We Are Who We Are featured a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance by Timothée Chalamet. Chalamet, who portrayed Elio in Guadagnino’s adaptation, walks in and out of a shot so quickly that his cameo qualifies as an Easter egg for eagle-eyed viewers. Hammer’s involvement in We Are Who We Are, while still stealthy, definitely has more of a playful quality. He’s also on-screen for longer than his Call Me By Your Name cohort.
Hammer shows up in We Are Who We Are episode 6, titled “Right here, right now #6”, and he lingers on the screen. Early in the episode, Fraser and Caitlin get lunch at the school cafeteria. The food server, stone-faced and very diligent about the responsibility of feeding hungry students, is none other than Hammer himself. The actor remains busy in the background, even as Fraser and Caitlin are engrossed in their own conversation. You can spot him in the video below.
The contrast between the cameos of Chalamet and Hammer is definitely amusing. While the younger actor just ed through, unfussed, Hammer seems to have his own little narrative playing out in the periphery of the scene. His background character looks so serious, raising a whole host of questions once he’s been spotted: Has he always wanted his job? Did the food server have greater dreams once upon a time? What happened to them?
Fans have kept their eyes peeled for an appearance by Hammer ever since the Call Me By Your Name cameos were first reported. The ostentatious cafeteria worker fits well, though, in an episode that also features an impromptu musical interlude. As they’re having lunch, Caitlin and Fraser discuss the fact that they’ll be spending a few days apart. Both are a little bummed out by this and, as their day at school concludes, a delightful and unexplained music video suddenly takes over We Are Who We Are. Grazer and Seamon expertly and delightfully lip-synch to the song “Time Will Tell” by Dev Hynes, who has been namedropped in the series and also worked on its score.
The scene is effortless, as the leads of We Are Who We Are expertly mouth the song’s lyrics and dance in matching white turtlenecks. Seeing both Grazer and Seamon struggle to remain in character, occasionally breaking into laughter, is meant to reinforce how close their characters and how difficult it will be for them to separate. While other dramas might express this sentiment with a few lines of dialogue, Guadagnino crafts a musical sequence that is, at once, simple and elaborate and really fun. Sort of like Hammer’s cameo. While, overall, We Are Who We Are is contemplative and slight, it also expertly encapsulates the spontaneity and silliness of youth.