Over three years ago, Jeremy Renner was involved in a “traumatic” accident involving a snowplow. The 54-year-old actor was hit by a massive snowcat while trying to save his nephew from being run over. As a result, Renner broke dozens of bones and subsequently embarked upon the road to recovery, with his relatives at his side. He also had the support of dear friends, including fellow Marvel star Anthony Mackie. Now, Mackie is getting candid about Renner’s unfortunate ordeal and how the actor managed to keep his sense of humor.
Anthony Mackie and Jeremy Renner have a bit of a history. Years ago, they co-starred alongside each other in Kathryn Bigelow’s 2009 war drama The Hurt Locker. And, over the next few years, the two would be cast in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Renner being cast as Clint Barton and Mackie as Sam Wilson. Mackie recalled his buddy’s incident while speaking to People. The 46-year-old star admitted to having been taken aback once he learned about the incident but, as time went on, he could see a bright spot:
When I got the news, I was really surprised and just hurt that my friend was going through this. So the first thing I thought was, ‘I need to be by his side.’ Once he started getting back up and around, I would get progress reports from either him or his family once a week. And Renner's funny. He's here all broken up and all disheveled, and he is like, ‘Oh, I hate this shit.’ And I'm like, ‘Dude.’
During his hospitalization, Jeremy Renner shared updates on his status when possible, and his family members did the same. He even shared a video from the ICU early on, which was incredibly touching. Anthony Mackie’s thoughts on his humor also track, as some of the American Hustle alum’s posts were indeed humorous. I loved seeing Renner remain upbeat in the face of adversity, and Mackie felt the same way:
It was great to see him keep his spirits and the way he worked through it. He's the pure definition of a strong human being. He never let himself get down. He never looked at himself as a victim.
Jeremy Renner’s sheer determination and drive to get better were surely inspiring to see. On top of that, what was also refreshing was to see just how vulnerable the veteran actor was about his condition. While he did indeed open up whenever he made progress, he also didn’t shy away from talking about his setbacks. It was even a “big stretch” for him to return to acting once he was well enough to do so. While talking to CinemaBlend’s own Riley Utley, Renner discussed the impact of his injuries on his Mayor Kingston character as well.
Nevertheless, he preserved and had plenty of support from fans and a plethora of actors from across Hollywood. His Marvel Cinematic Universe family particularly came through for him, with Chris Evans showing love and later visiting the hospital with Scarlett Johansson. Paul Rudd also sent well wishes by way of a video that went viral. The stars of the MCU have long shown that they share a bond, and it was heartwarming to see it shine through in a big way when one of their own was in dire straits.
Anthony Mackie’s reflections on the entire situation are also a testament to that bond amongst the MCU stars. I’m glad Jeremy Renner had Mackie and others by his side, and I smile knowing that he’s back to work and doing well now. You can see the two buddies together on the repair-centric series Rennervations using a Disney+ subscription. And, of course, with that same membership you can stream the various Marvel movies in order to see the actors play their superhero characters.
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