Jeremy Renner covers the latest issue of Men’s Health to promote Mayor of Kingstown and the Disney+ Hawkeye series. The interview is… well… interesting, I guess. It’s been a while since I’ve read an interview with Renner, honestly, and I forgot how he always comes across like an angry little guy with a chip on his shoulder. This Men’s Health piece could should be cited as a prime example of “men performing their masculinity” too, because it’s all about how he’s a big manly man who collects fire trucks and would never do a celebrity line of tequila. Of course, there’s also a reference to his contentious divorce from Sonni Pacheco and their custody battle over Ava. Last we heard, Renner was trying to get his support payments reduced and Sonni accused him of threatening her with a gun and biting their daughter. Some highlights from yet another bonkers Renner interview:
He buys old firetrucks & fixes them up to protect his Tahoe neighborhood: “I’m using fire trucks for defensible space and for protecting my neighborhood, all the people up there.” He spent nights bidding on fire trucks in online auctions, and he’s amassed quite a few. “I had 30 fire trucks a hundred feet from a hydrant. Not because they’re there to firefight, but they all potentially could.”
He has 200 vehicles at his Nevada ranch: “It isn’t a horse ranch. It’s more of a horsepower ranch.” Beyond fire engines, Renner is restoring and reimagining utility vans; an ambulance, which he is converting into a veterinary clinic; and a slew of city buses, which he has earmarked to become tiny homes and glamping accommodations. “I try to do things with a flow, and never square peg/round hole something. Why force it? Water flows over a rock. It doesn’t just stop when it hits an obstacle; it moves around it, right? That’s how it is with life. It’s my religion, my belief system. Whether it be a bus or a movie or a home or how I parent, that’s in everything I do.”
He’s not an effete celebrity: “I never wanted to be famous. I still don’t. Everyone is like, ‘You should buy a tequila brand,’” he says, mocking the know-it-all tone of a stereotypical Hollywood suit, even as a pack of them pass our table. “F–k that. I bought a bunch of fire trucks. So f–k you, Ryan Reynolds or George Clooney or whoever. I’ll come put out the fire on your agave farm.”
Actor lessons. “Once you’re fired, then you become a real actor,” Renner says. Another: “Networks can kiss my whole ass.” Perhaps the most critical takeaway: “Never take a job for money.” Renner says he never has.
He turned down the title role in Hellboy. “I said no to more money than I’ll probably ever make. I was focused on what I wanted to do and how. I just felt if I wasn’t connected to the material—even though it was a great director and a great job—I don’t know how I’m going to do anything exceptional.”
He can’t do light conversations, not even with Ava: “I’m just stuck with being me. I can’t have light, fluffy conversations. I can’t do it. I can’t f–king do it, dude. I’d rather run into traffic. I’m polite. I’m cordial. And I get the f–k out of there, fast.”
He’s never been in a fight: “I’ve never been in a physical altercation in my life. Why combat when you can find solutions to move around? It’s all ego based when it comes to fighting. I’ve been fortunate enough to be good at problem-solving. It doesn’t mean all the solutions are perfect or that they’re even good. But at least it’s a solution instead of doing nothing. Stagnancy is complacency. It’s like a pond: If water does not move, it sits and collects scum. A river is moving; it’s alive and ever-changing.”
On Sonni Pacheco: Renner denied [all of her claims] again in our interview, declining to address the allegations specifically. “I don’t respond publicly or privately to nonsense. It only empowers it. . . . If you respond to it, you give it gas. I don’t fuel sh-t fires. I just don’t do it. I refuse to.”
Men’s Health brings up the fact that at one point, Marvel was seriously considering dropping Renner from the Hawkeye role, and they considered not doing this Hawkeye stand-alone series. Nothing ever came of those momentary qualms, and I would assume Marvel/Disney does not want Pacheco’s accusations to be repeated during promotion for Hawkeye, although “If you respond to it, you give it gas. I don’t fuel sh-t fires” isn’t really “no comment.” He’s truly referring to his ex-wife as a sh-t fire. And he’s collected all of those fire trucks! Now I get, he’s the wannabe fireman, she’s the sh-t fire. Or at least that’s what he wants people to believe.
Cover & IG courtesy of Men’s Health.
He always comes off like a total jackass. I hope he got Hailey a nice Christmas gift for saving his show, she was a delight (and Jeremy was…there)
Hawkeye was just okay.
I think Renner is tired of having to project this image of a great guy.
In the show, he says he is no one’s role model.
I think he and Disney are over each other.
He is a good actor on screen. He is not good at acting like an authentic person for interviews.
Love your line “….not good at acting like an authentic person for interviews.” I think you are right about this with most celebrities they are just acting “authentic” for interviews. Which means it’s not really authentic if it’s acting. Odd that we just accept it as their true selves when deep down we know it’s a show.
I’ve met quite a few “celebrities” in non interview settings and generally none are like you expect or what they present. Even the nice ones have their own schtick and are selling an image. The one’s like Renner who don’t follow the mold, make me laugh. He could be a grade A douche or the nicest guy on the planet who knows.
He’s a serious Artist lol
Some people take themselves so seriously. It’s just a job like any other. This is just a particular line of work that’s public. Never got the celeb worship. I think it’s just because you see them so much it’s familiar.
Then again I see my one neighbor all the time and would be more than happy not to see him scratching his ass while washing his car again.
Oh!! Btw this is so weird I had to mention it; I usually ignore ads by habit but earlier today I found this HepatoPro vitamin behind the couch (lol don’t ask) and it had to have been there forever. Seriousky thought I should take it but then said nah. Stopped to comment on this article and the first thing that caught my eye was an advertisement for this exact vitamin and even same brand. It’s for liver function. So I took it lol. If any of you have good vitamin suggestions let me know. Time to get healthy.
I also recommend those one a day ones. Feel a bit more energy from it lately.
Actually do y’all notice the more we think of a particular thing, the universe just puts it in your path…
That, or the internet is watching me. Which who knows these days 🤔
He always seems so defensive when he’s interviewed and I’ve always thought he’s hiding a big part of his personality which is a shame at his age and stage in life.
I get that not every actor is built for fame but as someone else mentioned, he should hire a new publicist as nothing I’ve read from him over that last few years ever does him any favours.
I’m a fan of the MCU and Hawkeye was the spin-off show that I was least interested in but I actually ended up enjoying it more than the other 3 that they have done so far. Florence Pugh is such a joy in it and I really enjoyed the dynamic she had with Hailee Steinfeld whom I’ve never been a fan of but grew on me over the 6 episodes. I would love to see those girls in any future episodes they might do and have poor old Hawkeye retire to his farm.
A horsepower farm? This guy sounds like class A Douchbag.
I know, I rolled my eyes SO HARD at that. And why f*ck Ryan Reynolds and George Clooney? I doubt they’ve ever given you a second thought, you angry little turd. I’m sure his school-age child relishes their “deep conversations.” Sometimes little kids just want to be silly and have fun, you a$$hole. He looks and sounds like a miserable person.
I rolled my eyes so often I missed half of his quotes…
The funny thing is when I knew him, he was doing sculptures of the musical Cats and painting (they were all over his tiny apartment)…there was none of this energy. He also wasn’t successful yet – just another LA actor taking classes.
I love reading tidbits like this.
Oh my god, how weird! I always wonder how people seemingly transform over their lifetime.
To me, I have always been the same core person—maybe my choices and appearance have changed a bit, but I have always been the same person. I saw someone from high school recently, and they marveled, “Oh my god, you’re exactly the same!”
I remember seeing him years ago in a documentary about actors on the cusp of fame – he had made a splash in an indie movie about Dahmer but wasn’t yet a “star”. He was a very different personality, and seemed a little odd but much less douchey than he comes across now. The last episode saw him get a huge check for a movie with Colin Farrell and he was so beyond thrilled he sat on the floor of his new and still unfurnished house and cried happy tears while hugging his dog.
I had a soft spot for years after watching him in that doc, but he’s used up any goodwill I had for him. Talk about fame amplifying the worst parts of who a person is.
He needs a LOT of therapy and there is no shame in this, but he needs it for his sake and for the sake of his daughter. He needs to keep Ryan Reynolds and George Clooney out of his mouth too. Those guys have a focus on taking care of themselves and their families and creating generational wealth, ain’t nothing wrong with that.
Whew, him in and wanna be fire fighter Rockstar butt are embarrassing.
He doesn’t come off as a pleasant person, I have to say. Does he believe he’s a real superhero, with all that “protect the neighborhood” nonsense?
But once his Marvel series is over, he’ll fade into obscurity – and he’d tell us that’ll be great, he was planning to spend more time playing with his fire trucks anyway.
I found it interesting that for all his “protect his neighborhood” talk, what he imagines doing with his big fire trucks with giant hoses is symbolically pissing on George Clooney’s and Ryan Reynolds’ properties.
He seems like he’d be awful to spend time with and the vibe that oozes from his pores was the #1 reason I didn’t watch Hawkeye even though I watched every other MCU Disney+ show.
I almost didn’t watch it because of him, but the series was my favourite of the 3 to come out (loki, winter soldier, wanda) . Hailee Steinfeld was so good, and it was fun to see Yelena again. Florence Pugh is great in that role. It was a fun series !! Renner is easy to ignore, so I wouldn’t skip it because of him. It just pisses me off that he even had the opportunity, let alone a hit series… he’s a douche.
The Mayor of Kingstown is very good so there’s space on small for him.
@chic LOVE Mayor of Kingstown and he is excellent in it. It’s like Sicario only with 10 episodes!
Huh. The Lake Tahoe area was on fire this past summer & I don’t remember reading anything about Jeremy Renner helping the firefighting effort. What a jerk.
I wonder if his “friend” still lives with him? Y’know, the guy he flipped houses with and lived with him while he was married to a rumored escort? He’s a toxic mess and ugly to boot. Girl, bye.
@M … I still can’t believe how many people labeled Sonni with the ‘gold-digger T-stamp’ and completely discounted everything she said in their divorce and following custody hearings even knowing what a nasty, toxic piece of work Jeremy Renner is. In my opinion, Jeremy always, always, always seems to act the way he ‘thinks’ men really are–in film and real life.
If this whole story is true she probably was in it for the money but it doesn’t invalidate the fact that he is being a horrible co-parent and ex fake-husband.
That being said I agree that Renner is trying way too hard to stick to the tough guy stereotype it just doesn’t seem genuine at all. And I feel a bit sorry for him because it must be exhausting
Yeah I always wonder if this whole tough guy persona is to try and cover that up . . .
First thing I think of every time his name comes up.
THIS! There is nothing in this interview other than overcompensation.
Jeremy’s just terribly bad at it, my god. I have never read an interview where someone was so clearly screaming- “I’m in the closet! Argh tough!!!! Masculine! Manly man! No gay/bi here!”
He sounds like the way Rock Hudson used to in the 50s talking all cars and farm work. Trying to be the toughest guy on the block to cover up who he really was.
Well, bless his heart.
He was a sh*t fire on the Kelly Clarkson show. He can’t hide how terrible his personality is. He’s terrible in interviews. Most actors, can be a little charming, doing interviews…not him.
You have to be a really Bitter Betty to have such a wrinkle in your drawers over Ryan Reynolds and George Clooney, two of the most affable, laid back guys in the industry.
I don’t believe anyone offered this pygmy goat Hellboy. He may have been mentioned, maybe his agent told him he was being considered but whatever, serious contention? Sir…
+1
He didn’t take the Hellboy money but he took the Marvel money instead. Ok…
When he signed with Marvel, Perlmutter was still controlling the finances and was not paying the actors huge salaries. Only RDJ was making large sums because of the way his contract was structured to get a portion of the profits. There were huge differences in what Hemsworth, Renner, Evans, SLJ, Hiddleston, and Johansson were paid to work on Avengers and what RDJ actually made because he got a share of the profits and they didn’t. Feige had to restructure all their contracts for Age of Ultron.
They also learned from RDJ. They didn’t have faith so only signed him to three movies. They had to negotiate for IM3, Ultron, civil war, homecoming, infinity war and endgame.
Except for the whole protect the neighborhood business (sounds very Rittenhouse) he doesn’t seem like an awful person but like a super annoying person that I would never want to share a meal with.
I don’t know, I think being accused of pointing a gun at his ex and according to her threatening to kill himself too, falls a bit beyond “annoying”. He sounds like an out of control train that people keep expecting to stop itself, instead of jumping in to try and stop it.
I need to go back and re-read the Cumberbatch article as Renners interview has left an extremely sour and ugly taste in my mouth. Renner seems to be so full of himself that he can’t get past his own self inflated ego. As for his comments about Clooney and Reynolds, he needs to STFU!!
If he’s so interested in converting these fire trucks, why isn’t he donating them to agencies that need them? There are hundreds of small towns that have no budget to pay their fire crew, yet alone have the proper equipment to fight fires. But no. Instead he’s pissing on everyone and telling them it’s raining outside.
Renner needs therapy, and a lot of it.
Those photos 😂
Agreed. He just isn’t a pleasant looking man. I think he is an excellent actor but he looks like what I would
Imagine a fully grown Mandrake .
😆 Including the petulant screeching.
Not a fully grown Mandrake hahahah. I can not unsee it now.
His publicist needs to put out this fire hot mess.
He sounds like a whack job and I don’t see Marvel/Disney keeping him around now that they’ve launched the Kate Bishop character.
He is not bright. That’s it.
he seems like such a weird guy, tbh. but I don’t knock him for the compulsive firetruck buying. didn’t the area around Tahoe nearly get completely wrecked in a huge wildfire last year? It’s only going to get worse, so if he’s become neurotic about strategically positioning firetrucks all around his neighborhood, I’m not gonna judge him.
I do knock him for buying and refurbishing hundreds of various vehicles with all of his marvel/mansion house flipping money, and then trying to argue that his ex should get less child support because his income isn’t that high. She might be a grifter or she might not be, but tough shit, you have 50/50 custody, so you pay for whatever makes up the difference in your daughter’s standard of living between the two of you.
I worked in HR for a while, and there were men whose paychecks were subject to garnishment for child support. Eg when their paychecks are processed a certain amount is set aside and sent to the state and the state sends it to the custodial parent for the children’s needs.
Before family court issues a wage garnishment order, the person must have failed to pay court-ordered child support, like, for a while, with multiple reminders and warnings. And these orders always allow for the employee to keep a good chunk of their own pay, it’s not like they’d be left taking home nothing.
In all but one of the cases, the employee was a man-child who gave off a similar angry chip-on-his shoulder vibe, was given to immature behavior sometimes in a cut off his-own-nose-to-spite-his-face way. Incl getting written warnings for asshat behaviors in the workplace. A couple cut their families, including their kids!, off their work-sponsored health insurance… even though it cost them little to nothing to keep the ex and kids on, until the court ordered them to put them back on. At the time it was my job to administer all these court orders and at times it was a giant hassle and I’d see one of the guys and think to myself “if this idiot had just mailed a $200 check once a month I wouldn’t have to deal with this. But no, he wanted to be a grumpy man baby and make his ex scramble to put breakfast on the table or pay the heating bill or buy their kids shoes or cough syrup etc – jerk!” Maybe I have a dirty lens because my father took off and failed to pay child support back in the day, but I just can’t with these idiots.
Oh, and more than one cried poor mouth and then bragged about the 3rd or 4th car they’d just bought over the weekend and were going to fix up. Not all gearheads are selfish jerks, but there definitely seems to be a subset that’s a “type”.
I have a work friend whose ex pulls this crap. He’s tens of thousands in arrears on the pittance of child support he pays (it’s seriously like $600 a month, nowhere NEAR half of what it takes to support a child) and frequently works under the table/cash jobs to avoid paying it. His whole tax return was garnished by the state this year and didn’t even make a dent in what he owes her. She has their son on her health insurance despite a court order that he maintain insurance for the child, and he also refuses to pay his half of copays, medication, doctor’s visits, or anything child related, claiming that the stupidly low child support amount that he DOESN’T EVEN PAY should “cover it.” She is counting down the days until her son is 18 and she doesn’t have to deal with him any more.
Whoa, toxic masculinity much? It really sounds try hard and/or has no real personality.
If you believe the rumors, Sonni was brought in as an arrangement and then Renner cut her off. He created this mess and constantly tries to throw her under the bus and paint her as the bad guy so I don’t blame her for lashing back. I think her hands are tied with a NDA. I feel bad for their daughter who is growing up with two parents who are openly hostile toward each other.
That seems like a stretch? Even around The Hurt Locker, no one has ever tried to make Renner into a leading man, so idk that he’d have anyone suggesting that kind of a thing. Whatever you can say about Renner, she seems genuinely problematic and the courts have never found any of her claims to have merit.
You read what came out of Renner’s own mouth and still think any arrangement would have been about what Hollywood was pushing for and not what his overinflated ego and I’m a man chest thumping created in his own head?
I’ve never thought he was good looking but these photos…they just scream “divorced cop trying too hard.”
OMG you nailed it, that is the exact energy he projects.
I think he’s a very talented actor, but such an a-hole that I no longer want to watch his work.
Some of the takes in Kingstown were a shock, he has really bad acne or is aging poorly.
Firstly, I hope Sonni & Ava have a strong & loving support network because this man is an nightmare.
Secondly, I LOVE mezcal & tequila. It’s delicious & Tommy’s margaritas are divinely refreshing. It actually has a super interesting history. I’d love to go to Mexico, drink it there and learn more about it.
It’s gross and on brand for Jeremy to sh*t all over a drink made by indigenous people… just so he can pretend he’s superior to more successful actors. Like I’d be interested in a conversation about the gentrification of tequila. And how white celebrities are co-opting tequila without celebrating or acknowledging the history of it. But Renner is so lost in toxic masculinity he can’t even acknowledge the beauty & joy of sipping on tequila.
Renner would just make the fire worse if he ever tried to use one of his fire trucks.
Strong Gym Douche vibes with this one.
Also really, that’s his fantasy? Saving the “effete” George Clooney with his large… firehose? Dude. I can practically hear Freud chortling with laughter.
OMG thats it! That is totally it!
I’m a photographer and I am so entertained by those photos. The photog did him dirty a little bit…. like every full body shot could have been posed in a way that lengthened him, but instead he’s jumping into a tiny little ball, and running half-scrunched over… lol. Just accentuates his littleness while juxtaposed with his “I’m a cool car guy” messaging.
I love this comment!
He sounds insufferable. I’m not familiar with his work at all or even him as a celebrity. This is the first thing I’ve read about him tbh, but in this interview, he just sounds like a pretentious jackass. Like, “Oh, I can’t even have a fun conversation with my own child because I’m THAT DEEP.” *eye roll* get over yourself, man.
Yeah what i heard was, i dont know how to engage with a kid because i spend my conversations trying to impress people by how deep i try to be and i cant let down my guard so i still just do this with kids too
Many people get their identity from work success or superficial things that are not valuable to kids so these adults dont know who they are without them so they have no idea how to talk to kids
Didn’t Jeremy Renner sell something on Amazon?! Or am I imagining that? Didn’t he also have to shut down his Jeremy Renner app?!
Is he mad at Clooney and Reynolds because their businesses are actually successful?
My thoughts exactly. Those men come across really well which is a huge part of their success, but renner? Nope he cant compete
And clooney and his wife are philanthropic, they donated their wedding pictures $, but renner is trying to make it sound like a tequila brand isnt caring about others like being a one man fire house like jeremy is here
Renner sells glamping gear on amazon.
I honestly don’t know what’s wrong with me. I love almost (most but not all) every movie he’s every done, and he’s my favourite thing in every one of those movies. Aaron Cross from The Bourne Legacy and Hawkeye from the MCU are my fictional movie boyfriends. He stole every scene in The Town and earned that Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. I even loved him in his first appearance in Mission Impossible.
But, I can’t read any interviews or watch him on talk shows. He’s just so angry and tries so hard to to be off putting and contrary. He has no chill and no charm. Also, getting dropped from two franchises I think speaks volumes about how little people want to keep working with him. Yet, I still love so much of his work and what he’s done as an actor. Like I said, there’s something wrong with me.
I also think he’s a great actor. Arrival is legit one of my favorite movies ever, and the fact that Amy Adams specifically asked for him to be her co-star because they’ve been close friends for years and she wanted someone she trusted to support her in such a heavy role is what made me think he’s probably not as douche-y in real life as he comes across in interviews like this. But he’s just such a damn mess sometimes, ugh.
You are not alone! I thought he was a great actor, particularly in The Hurt Locker, and really hot. But he’s so obviously an angry douchebro. Ugh. (Also, he 100% took on Hawkeye for the money / as a career move. No shame in the game, but don’t lie.)
Nope, not alone, I’m right there with you. I think he’s a fantastic actor and I love watching him. I recently rewatched Wind River and almost forgot how quietly heartbreaking his performance is. HBO has been playing the hell out of The Bourne Legacy lately and I’m loving it (his chemistry with Rachel Weiz is incredible). And of course I watched Hawkeye, and loved every minute of it. I know his private life is reportedly messy AF but I never miss an opportunity to watch him onscreen.
I’m here with you. And shout out to Bourne Legacy! He is definitely a ‘separate the actor from the role’ case.
Well, he’s a very good actor, and I guess it’s nice that he want’s to play fireman hero for his neighbors, but what kind of person can’t have a conversation with their own kid? He’s too deep to talk to his child? He collects vehicles like they were toys! He’s basically like a child himself!
He didn’t actually say that, he said he can’t have a light conversation with his kid. I’ve actually seen a few people up the level of conversation with children to deeper more adult topics. It’s funny to watch and the kids usually enjoy it, provided they don’t go too far. My friend use to do this with her niece all the time it cracked all of us up.
I think the difference is parent/primary caregiver vs. other adult. Kids need different things from a parent than they do from other adults in their lives. The job of a parent is to meet their child where they are, not force their child to keep up with their affectations.
I’m from the Modesto, CA area, and know a couple folks who went to HS with Renner. They did not have good things to say about him.
Hawkeye was too good a show for this douche.
Yech. Some of this comes across as trying way too hard to compensate for his past as a makeup artist, and the rest of it seems like just being a jackass.
I don’t know what his problem is with either Clooney or Reynolds besides the fact that they have businesses that he’s not interested in competing against, but f-you is pretty harsh. And his personal life seems like a mess. He’s a good actor, but he seems like a real mess of a person.
I believe Sonny.
And Renner sounds like Julien from trailer park boys if he actually made it rich.
He’s a good actor, but doesn’t come off as a good person. Perhaps he’s just bad at maintaining an image, but he could be a jerk too.
Save this link for when someone tells you toxic masculinity is not a thing.
I agree with every word already posted on this douchebag.
Also, he looks like Kyle Rittenhouse’s older brother.
The ambulance vet clinic is cool and converting busses to tiny homes for the homeless. Can’t bash the dude for his work ethic and helping people. He may be awful to be in a relationship with, but good actor and humanitarian, I’d say. People are layered.
You 100% know he’s the type to not check the mail for party invites / scoff at parties for existing (pre Covid of course) when in fact the invites never existed in the first place!
Why did he name check George Clooney on the tequila thing? That doesn’t seem wise.
I dont think name checking and dissing George Clooney and Ryan Reynolds was necessary lol. Hawkeye was also the lamest and most pointless character in the Avenger movies so he’s probably just sour cause no one actually cares or wants a hawkeye spin off movie lol
I’ve followed Renner’s career since the beginning. I am still amazed about how this guy short in height, with no leading man looks blessing – has been able to rise in Hollywood… But it is very clear to me the more I watch him act – the more I am convinced that Renner has “Mega Acting Chops” and they have served him well!
He can’t be playful with his daughter because he’s always “cordial and polite?” Dude has got a problem. I can’t even imagine him cordial and polite. He looks like he’s about 5’5″ (and I’m being generous) with all those squatting/big muscle pics. He does seem angry, too. It is performative toxic masculinity. He seems like an incredibly tense person. Poor Sonni and Ava.
I find him extremely unattractive…looks and personality.
During Endgame PR the O6 Avengers cast was asked various questions about each other. One was ‘which would most likely miss an avengers reunion?’. ScarJo said Renner because he wanders off into the woods but eventually comes back.
He strikes me as an insanely insecure person, to be honest. It’s not surprising for the industry, but you would think an actor would be better at covering it up in interviews.
I guess his PR people have just given up, then?