Armie Hammer is wary of taking on blockbuster roles again following a string of expensive flops.

The 31-year-old actor was touted as Hollywood's next big leading man after his breakthrough dual role as twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss in the 2010 film The Social Network.

However, major movie projects like The Lone Ranger and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. underperformed at the box office, and Armie is now cautious of taking on any further big money projects - as they don't satisfy him as an actor.

"I realized I was being shoehorned into something that was different than what I expected or wanted out of this business," he told New York Magazine. "When you're sitting in an acting class when you're young, they tell you about the ideal experience on a project, where you work on a movie that challenges you and draws something out of you. But you don't get that on big movies."

Happily, the star has struck gold with his latest project Call Me by Your Name, a gay romance that has been one of the biggest critical hits on the film festival circuit this year (17).

Armie plays Oliver, a young academic who falls for his research partner's 17-year-old son Elio (Timothee Chalamet), in Luca Guadagnino's acclaimed movie.

And the 31-year-old has admitted that he had a bigger emotional connection with the Italian filmmaker than he has ever had working with anyone else on other big budget movies.

"I've never had such an emotional journey with a director," the star added. "I've never even considered directors to be emotional people! I don't even know if I've worked with a director who even cared if I was mad at them before. It was more like, 'Shut up and stand on your mark and do your job.'"

The role could also deliver awards recognition - both Armie and his co-star Timothee, 21, have been tipped to win acting honors at the upcoming Oscars.