“I can’t just go play make-believe right now” — Jeremy Renner shares he's not yet ready to play challenging roles following snowplow accident

Actor Jeremy Renner confessed he does not "have the energy" for demanding roles since his near-fatal accident. On Monday, June 24, 2024, the Hawkeye star discussed returning to work with hosts Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes of the Smartless podcast.

"I just don’t have the energy for (challanging roles). 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," Renner admitted how he is pouring his energy into the recovery process.

On New Year's Day 2023, Renner was run over by a 14,300-lb snowplow as he was trying to save his nephew. The accident left him with 38 broken bones, a collapsed lung, and significant chest truama. Since the accident, he has spent a year in physical therapy before returning to work.

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"Being known for who you are as a human is really f**king cool"— Jeremy Renner on how people perceive him post-accident

The Avengers actor spoke about the accident and its aftermath and how people perceived him as a "man, brother, father," and "person." Stating how he was no longer famous for his acting career but for overcoming the incident, Jeremy Renner said that he found it really "gratifying."

"Because I never liked being a celebrity. I never liked being adored for... (people) call me Hawkeye, whatever...blah blah blah... but being known for who you are as a human is really f*cking cool."

Renner also revealed how there is a "wonderful shift" in how people recognize him now. He brought up an incident just months after his accident when he took his daughter to Six Flags (an amusement park in Los Angeles), and people started clapping and wishing him well in his recovery rather than asking for a selfie.

He explained he needed that kind of support, adding that "I (he) needed everything to recover."

"It made me believe in goodness, in people that I didn't think f*cking existed," Jeremy Renner added.

The hosts also questioned him about making the decision to return to acting and how he has approached work since the accident. Jeremy Renner answered that he was initially "very terrified," saying,

"Because I’m to do, like, f*cking fiction? I’m still trying to live in reality, I’m trying to live. So it was a hard line for me to cross."

Bateman agreed, stating,

"Sh*t got real, and then your job is to be fake."

Renner added that it was "challenging" for him "mentally." Following a year of physical therapy, the actor returned to work on Mayor of Kingstown, a crime thriller show where he plays the protagonist, Mike McLusky. The actor has been part of the show since its premiere in 2021.

Talking about his character Mike, Jeremy Renner elaborated that it was a "character that (he) can do very well and (he) know(s) the show very well," making it easy to "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 (referring to his 2002 film of the same name) or something, something so far from me," Renner added.

Jeremy Renner further explained that all his energy went into his recovery. The hosts then suggested the actor write a book detailing his experience.

Renner's full interview on Smartless is available on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.