Filmmaking can be an incredibly arduous process, and sometimes accidents can happen on set. Even on a lighthearted project such as Warner Bros. upcoming comedy, Tag, Jeremy Renner ended up suffering two broken arms after falling 20 feet from a stack of chairs while filming one of Tag's many action sequences. The story of the Marvel Cinematic Universe actor breaking his arms has become one of the most wince-worthy Hollywood tales in recent memory, and Renner himself apparently had no interest in watching the footage of the accident afterward. In a recent interview, Renner explained:
After production, they said, 'Hey, do you want to actually see the fall?' And I'm like, 'Uh, no. I'm good.' I have that attitude of you fall down seven times and you stand up eight. I don't know about 20 feet seven times (laughs). It was just one time I had to do that.
I can't necessarily say that I blame Jeremy Renner for this take on the situation. Though the folks behind Tag did have footage of the fall that broke both of his arms, he opted not to watch the scene. In fact, the way that he looked at it, he only really did it once -- the time that he got it right. They simply CGI'd his arms to look normal, and then proceeded with the rest of the shoot.
Though it may seem odd to learn that such intense stunt work went into the making of an R-rated buddy comedy, there's actually some story-based rationale for the move. Based on a true story, Tag centers its narrative on a group of friends who have played the same game of tag every May for the last three decades. However, when Jerry (Renner) -- the one member of the group who has never been tagged -- opts to retire after his wedding, the group decided to descend upon the wedding weekend and finally get him. As Renner explained in his interview with USA Today, much of Jerry's personality is rooted in an ultra-competitive streak, so it was essential to embrace the physicality of the role.
Also worth noting about Jeremy Renner's injury is the continued emphasis on falling down seven times and getting up eight. This seems to be a running theme with the actor, as he even captioned a gruesome social media post with that remark after his injury. Check it out, below.
Despite how much Jeremy Renner hurt himself while working on Tag, he didn't let his injury dictate how he would proceed with other projects on his plate. In fact, the actor also recently opened up about his injury's effect on his portrayal of Hawkeye in Avengers 4 over in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and noted that he couldn't let it slow him down.
Make sure to check out Jeremy Renner's badass portrayal of Jerry when Tag debuts this weekend on June 15. Beyond that, head over to CinemaBlend's 2018 movie premiere guide to keep yourself up-to-date on everything else that's coming to theaters this year!
