Jeremy Renner Gives First On-Camera Interview Since Devastating New Year’s Accident
Beloved Marvel superstar Jeremy Renner is back on camera – for an interview, anyway. For the first time since a
Ivy Griffith
Beloved Marvel superstar Jeremy Renner is back on camera – for an interview, anyway.
For the first time since a devastating snow plough accident that landed him in the hospital on January 1, Renner sat down for an interview to discuss what it was like – and what’s happening with him now.
Diane Sawyer interviewed Renner for the upcoming special, “Jeremy Renner: The Diane Sawyer Interview – A Story of Terror, Survival and Triumph,” and it sounds like it’s going to be a heart-wrenching tale.
See: JEREMY RENNER CELEBRATES BIRTHDAY IN HOSPITAL, TELLS FANS, ‘YOU’VE MADE MY SPIRITS SING!’
A Preview of the Jeremy Renner Interview
In the interview with Sawyer, the 52-year-old “Avengers” star talks about the moments after he was pulled from beneath the 14,000 piece of machinery, and also the harrowing and difficult recovery that followed.
On January 1, Renner was helping to clear snow from his Washoe County home. He exited the massive snow plow he was using, and noticed the brake wasn’t applied properly. The machine began sliding towards his nephew, so Renner attempted to leap onto the track of the vehicle to stop it.
Renner tells Sawyer that he remembers the pain of being run over, and was “awake for every moment” of the terrifying experience. Renner’s nephew didn’t think he was alive, and found his uncle in a pool of blood coming from his head.
Over a clip from a panicked 911 call placed by a family member, Renner said, “This is the sound of someone dying,” as he can be heard moaning and being told to “keep fighting” and “keep breathing” by loved ones.
Sawyer listed off the extent of Renner’s injuries, recounting, “Eight ribs broken in 14 places, right knee, right ankle broken, left leg tibia broken, the left ankle broken, right clavicle broken, right shoulder broken, face-eye socket, the jaw, the mandible broken, lung collapsed, pierced rib bone [into] your liver — which sounds terrifying.”
Renner says he remembers wondering what his body would look like once he learned just how grievously he had been injured. “What’s my body look like?” he recalled pondering, “Am I just going to be like a spine and a brain like a science experiment?”
Renner Would Do it All Again
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Even though it was a terrifying and painful ordeal, Renner does not regret the decision that saved his nephew’s life. “I’d do it again,” the actor said. “Because it was going right at my nephew.”
Recently, Renner took to Instagram stories to praise his daughter Ava for helping him recover and to celebrate her birthday. The “Avengers” actor wrote, “Happy 10th birthday to you!!!! So very proud of you in every way. Your hugs and your love, have healed me so incredibly fast. I am stand up for you, and I am stronger than before because of you. I am your Father, I am your protector, and I am only yours. I love you, Daddy.”
And it wasn’t just loved ones who helped Renner recover. From the moment news broke that he was injured, fans rallied to send love and well wishes to Renner and his family.
In the Marvel universe, Renner plays a leader and a father, who is often physically outmatched but emotionally glues the team together.
It would seem that he’s the same in the real world – and his family and fans all know it.
“Jeremy Renner: The Diane Sawyer Interview – A Story of Terror, Survival and Triumph” airs April 6 at 7 p.m. PST on ABC. The special will also be available to stream the next day on Hulu and Disney+.