For his remarkable fight back to life, actor Jeremy Renner (53) was named one of the “25 most fascinating people of 2023” by “People” magazine at the end of 2023. But that’s not the only reason the Oscar-nominated US star is a role model. Or because a year ago he actually just wanted to rush to his nephew’s help when the terrible snowplow accident happened. In fact, Renner can also see something positive from the misfortune today.
In the past few months, he says he has learned to show a softer side to himself. “That machine certainly squeezed a lot of insensitivity out of me,” he tells People magazine. “I was never bitter, but maybe always a little more jaded, a little tougher. And I think those hardenings have just been scraped off of me now. I feel quite open and wonderfully sensitive and young in every sense of the word,” he continued and adds: “I’ve been very lucky.”
Renner fell under the tracked vehicle near his home in Nevada on January 1, 2023 and was seriously injured. He is said to have had more than 30 broken bones and to have been “completely crushed,” as a police report said at the time, according to media reports. He then spent more than two weeks in the hospital and had to undergo several operations.
The “Hawkeye” star has since recovered surprisingly well and was even able to return to the red carpet in April, where he walked alongside his 10-year-old daughter Ava. He says his young daughter, his family and his friends pushed him to recover. They all showed him how much he was loved. “Everything went well somehow,” said Renner.
“Obviously I had a lot of tenacity, I had a lot of support, a lot of reasons to recover. This is really special. There are a lot of people who don’t have that much, who don’t have these things that they live for can.” Renner continued: “It wasn’t about me getting well. It was about healing her.”
While the actor says he certainly doesn’t want to go through something like that again, he’s grateful for learning his limitations – which were far greater than anyone ever expected. “I know how far I can go. That’s pretty useful information – it gives you parameters for your life, and that’s pretty hopeful,” he explains.
At the Super Bowl he will be seen in one of the prestigious advertising clips. The spot is very special for Renner because he will star in it with his daughter Ava, whom he shares with his ex-wife Sonni Pacheco.
“It’s a sign of hope for me and also for my daughter, and this is a new part of our recovery journey together and in life,” he says. “We got back to life, getting out of the hospital bed, getting out of the house, being around people, just doing normal things. That means a lot to me, and I’m very grateful to be able to do that here.”
