Jeremy Renner has been a major Hollywood star for years now and is known for giving physically and emotionally demanding roles. However, in 2023, his life took a devastating turn when he suffered a severe snow plow accident. Since then, the lead actor from The Hurt Locker has been on a challenging path to recovery. Renner’s comeback is truly inspirational, but he has recently shared that his return to the spotlight and his recovery has come with struggles and significant obstacles.
The Town actor recently opened up on the Smartless podcast, hosted by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett. It was there that he discussed the intense challenge of balancing his recovery with the demanding nature of acting. The conversation provided a raw and honest look at the psychological and physical toll that his journey back to the screen has taken on him and how it impacts his performances. He told the hosts:
I just don’t have the energy for it. I don’t have the fuel. I have so much fuel to put into this reality, this body, all this stuff. I can’t just go play make-believe right now. Because that takes a lot of time to get right here every day just so I can have a positive thought, so I can progress, so I can always keep growing.
In January 2023, Jeremy Renner was run over by his 14,000-pound Sno-Cat while trying to save his nephew. The incident left the Marvel actor with over 30 broken bones, severe blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries. His path to recovery has been arduous, involving extensive surgeries and rehabilitation. Needless to say, despite his superhero image on the screen, the Wind River alum has faced a genuine and painful healing process.
Earlier this year, Jeremy Renner’s return to the set of Mayor of Kingstown–the third season just premiered on the 2024 TV schedule–marked a significant milestone in his recovery. For a long time, it was uncertain when or if he would act again. The Hollywood A-lister admitted to the podcast hosts that he was “very terrified” about resuming his acting career. He went on to explain during the chat (which was shared on YouTube):
Because, I’m supposed to do, like, fiction? I’m still trying to live in reality, I’m trying to live. So it was a hard line for me to cross. It was a big stretch. It was very, very challenging for me mentally to get over that hump.
The Mission: Impossible veteran candidly shared the difficulty of transitioning from focusing on his health to embodying a character. His role as Mike McLusky on Mayor of Kingstown provided some familiarity, making it easier for him to slide back into acting. However, he admitted that taking on a more demanding or psychologically taxing role would have been unfeasible at this stage in his recovery:
I still struggle with it sometimes to, like, I don’t take it super seriously. I’m in a character that I can do very well and I know the show very well, so it was easy for me to kind of slide back into it. But if it was a very challenging role, I couldn’t have taken it. Not challenging in the sense that — because the show’s challenging, but it’s if I had to go play Dahmer or something, something so far from me.
Jeremy Renner’s full interview offers an empowering and raw glimpse into his life. The Hawkeye actor also revealed that he is working on a book about his experiences on and off the big screen and is aiming for a release by the end of this year or early 2025. Personally, I can’t wait to read it. I’m also looking forward to what kind of acting work he does next and hope he continues to overcome internal and external hurdles in the process.
Looking ahead, Jeremy Renner is set to star in Rian Johnson’s upcoming whodunit, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, his first film since the accident. Fans of the real-life superhero can revisit his time in the MCU by streaming all the Marvel movies in order with a Disney+ subscription. Also, check out our 2024 movie schedule to see what exciting movies are coming to the nearby cinema.