Jeremy Renner Reveals A 'Dicey' Mayor Of Kingstown Return & 'Brewing' MCU Comeback - Exclusive Interview

When the news that Jeremy Renner had been crushed by a 14,000-pound heavy-duty snowplow was splashed across every imaginable press outlet in January 2023, it was hard to believe at the time that anyone could recover from such a horrific accident, especially an actor known for his physical prowess portraying characters like the Marvel superhero Hawkeye.

Yet, one year later, Renner defied the odds and walked back onto the set of the hit Paramount+ series "Mayor of Kingstown," in which he holds the lead role as Mike McLusky, looking exactly the same as he always has despite having broken dozens of bones and suffering serious head and eye injuries.

Now, with the June 2 premiere of Season 3 of "Mayor of Kingstown" on the horizon, Renner exclusively opened up to Looper about how he really felt returning to the set of the Taylor Sheridan-created crime thriller series and whether he thinks he'll ever be able to suit up as Hawkeye again.

What was it like the first day you walked onto the set of "Mayor of Kingstown" for Season 3? Which happened almost exactly one year after your accident ...

Pretty much, yes — a year and a week. I'll tell you, the most difficult part was relocating. My life was in such routine in the recovery, and I have all this [physical therapy] gear I have to get my body right, and moving it all ... I don't just have a carry-on anymore. I come with quite a load of stuff to figure out my life. So, everything's just a little bit more difficult.

I was probably more nervous than I was excited, questioning if I had the physical ability to endure. It's not easy doing "Mayor of Kingstown," even when I was perfectly healthy the seasons prior. So, it was more, "Can I do it now at half-mast, trying to figure out my next step and my next breath?" But I had a lot of people to lean on. [Series co-creator and co-star] Hugh Dillon was always there as my right arm to kind of protect me — protect me even from myself. Because in my brain I think I can do something, but my body is telling me no, and he was there to help me with that. So was pretty much the whole cast and crew. Plus, I had a lot of people off set to help me too. It was a full production.

We got through. It was a little dicey in the beginning, the first couple of weeks, but we did it, we finished. It got better and we're stronger, and very, very proud and happy.

The series was renewed for Season 3 just months after your accident. How did that make you feel at the time, knowing that Paramount+ and everyone involved in the show was willing to invest in you as you continued to recover?

I think that's encouraging, right? I think everybody needs something to look forward to in life. They plant seeds of hope. And in moments like that, it was just another thing for me in my mind, and I feel like it was another positive, energetic sort of prayer or encouragement. I'd grab at anything that would help me through. So, yeah, it was always encouraging.

We were working on [the Season 3 renewal] during that first summer of my recovery, and I was excited. It was something to look forward to. It was great because the "Rennervations" show was something that got me out of the wheelchair and [walking on] a carpet. And then after that, to focus on "Mayor," it was nice to have something [else] to look forward to, and it was really a big part of my recovery journey.

What's it like to have to relive that snowplow accident every single time you talk to someone new? Like [on this press day], everybody is going to be asking you about that.

I think it's a collective sort of experience. It's not just mine. It didn't just happen to me. It certainly happened to all my family that was there, to my poor nephew that had to hold my arm and watch me on the ice. It happened to all the EMTs. You and I are talking about it, so it's in your brain. You became aware of it. It's a shared experience. It happened to everybody. So I find that I learn something new every time I speak about it, and I find it cathartic. I find it very healing. So it's never a burden. It's never something I'm going to run away from. I'm even writing a book about the experiences that I've learned through the near-death and the recovery of it all, and I can't wait to share that.

When it comes to Marvel and your role as Hawkeye, where does that stand? Have you had any conversations with Marvel about a return to that character?

I haven't had any conversations with them about it. I know that there are things that might be brewing. I always need to look forward to something, though. I need to challenge my body to get stronger. So, I look forward to the idea of being physically ready for something like that. If it's not that, it can be something else. But as far as an actual job to look forward to in the future, it's always on the table. We'll see if it actually comes together.

If and when your time as Hawkeye comes to an end, what do you hope that ending is?

I don't think I have a resolve for that. [laughs] I don't know if I want to know the resolve for that.

Well, let's assume fans are going to see you as Hawkeye again, and that it will be a big deal. What does being part of the MCU mean to you? And how does a role like Hawkeye compare to playing a character like Mike McLusky from "Mayor of Kingstown"?

There are similarities when it comes to being able to play a character for so long. It's great because you get to explore the character in different ways and play the character in different ways. You just have a lot more time and data to express the character fully.

The friendships that were forged in the MCU are so lasting, including permanent ink on the back of my neck of the six original Avengers. We all got tattoos. And those dear, dear friends of mine, that's the greatest gift that I've been given out of my time in the MCU. I love playing the character, but I love my friendships even more, and I'm very blessed [in that sense]. I think we all would love to take friendships like that out of every movie we do, but we typically just can't. Even famous people, they're just as busy as you are, so you never get to see them. [laughs] But we're on our family chat — our OG family chat — so we do stay in touch with each other a lot. Especially when I was in the hospital. I got to see all of them all the time over video and stuff like that. So, we go out of our way to spend time [together] and have time with each other, and, man, that has been the greatest thing.

Season 3 of "Mayor of Kingstown" premieres on June 2 on Paramount+.