Who does Jeremy Renner play in 'Mayor of Kingstown'? Actor talks about falling asleep on set after snowmobile accident recovery

Actor Jeremy Renner recently revealed he fell asleep on the sets of Mayor of Kingstown after his snowmoblie accident recovery. In his Friday, May 17, 2024, interview with the Los Angeles Times, the Hawkeye star explained how returning on set was not the same physically. He joked:

"They (producers on set) have to treat me like treat me like I’m a child actor. The mayor of Kingstown is now like a 14-year-old."

On January 1, 2023, Renner was involved in a near-fatal accident after being run over by a snowplow (weighing 14,300 lbs). The actor was trying to save his nephew when he was hit.

The incident left him with 38 broken bones, a collapsed lung, and chest trauma. After a year of physical therapy, he went back to work on Mayor of Kingstown.

Mayor of Kingstown is a crime thriller based in the fictional town of Kingstown, Michigan. Jeremy Renner plays Mike McLusky, who takes over as mayor after the death of his brother Mitch.

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"What I’m willing to do is everything, but what I’m able to do is a different thing" - Jeremy Renner on working post recovery

Series co-creator Hugh Dillion asked Jeremy Renner's mother for permission for the actor to return to the sets of the show. However, the actor soon discovered restrictions on his physical abilities. Renner told the Los Angeles Times -

"To try to create some truth and then get the audience to believe it, while I’m just trying to learn to walk again, to put one foot in front of the other and not get up in agony."

He admitted that at one point, getting back to shooting a "fictional world," he had to ask himself, "Is this something I really want to do?" Recalling an incident on his first week back on the sets, Jeremy Renner revealed he fell asleep during takes. He remarked -

"We realized they worked me too hard, too many hours, too many days in a row. What I’m willing to do is everything, but what I’m able to do is a different thing."

To accommodate the actor, producers modified his demanding schedule, allowing him to take time to stretch and exercise on sets and in between shoots when needed.

Jereme Renner also resided in Pittsburgh for the duration of the shoot instead of flying back and forth from California to avoid stress and jet lag.

The Hurt Locker star confessed that his recovery was a tough hill to climb but added that he kept a positive outlook. He told the publication that he found "sobriety through humor."

He also stated that the love and support he received from his family and medical team helped with his recovery. Renner added:

"I’m alive. I’m walking through life with a smile on my face. And there’s nothing that’s ever going to change that. Nothing. It’s impossible for me to have a bad day."

Earlier this year, Jeremy Renner told PEOPLE that many of his Marvel co-stars visited him during his recovery, including Anthony Mackie, Scarlett Johansson, and Robert Downey Jr. Talking about the Iron Man star, he explained that he constantly checked in on him while he was in the hospital. Jeremy Renner joked -

"We ended up having really great chats on FaceTime, like we were dating or something."

Mayor of Kingstown season 3 is scheduled for a June 2, 2024 premiere on Paramount+.