His Life Changed Completely at the Start of 2023
For a long time, Jeremy Renner’s name was synonymous with the tough, silent hero: the lone sniper in In the Land of Bombs, the relentless secret agent in the Mission: Impossible films, or Hawkeye in the Avengers. But everything changed on January 1, 2023. He spoke candidly with The Guardian about that day, how he’s feeling now, and the profound impact of the horrific accident.
A 14,000-pound (about 6.3-ton) snowplow ran over him while he was trying to save his nephew. Nearly every part of his body was injured: “Six ribs broken in 14 places. My pelvis shattered in three spots, both ankles, my left shinbone, wrist, collarbone, shoulder blade, jaw, eye sockets – all broken. The back of my head was severely cracked, my lung collapsed, and a rib pierced my liver,” he details in his memoir My Next Breath.
By a miracle, he survived. “What I experienced when I died was a collective divinity and a beautiful, powerful peace. It’s the most thrilling peace you can ever feel. The biggest adrenaline rush. Everything stopped... maybe for thirty seconds, maybe a minute. For me, it was crystal clear. Everything made perfect sense.”
He Relearned How to Breathe, Walk, and Love
After the snowplow accident, Renner hovered between life and death for weeks. His neighbors, Rich and Barb, whom he hadn’t met before, kept his spirits up until the rescue helicopter arrived. “I had to convince my body that the situation wasn’t as dire, and my mind overcame the biggest obstacles I’ve ever faced. It said ‘No!’ There was stubbornness. But deep down... I had a reason to live,” he says today.
What kept him going? Something simple: “A bunch of people were waiting for me to go skiing! I didn’t want to let them down. That became such a big deal.”
From Hollywood Tough Guy to Real-Life Hero
Renner used to struggle with fame. There was a time when he’d eat in the airport bathroom just to avoid fans. But everything has shifted now. “I receive such beautiful intimacy, openness, vulnerability, kindness, and attention from people that I never had before. It’s not just about a selfie – real human connection happens. They feel, ‘He’s just a person like me.’”
His Life Took on New Meaning
After the accident, his life gained new meaning: not just acting, but fatherhood and giving back became central. His daughter Ava means everything to him – he even dedicated his book to her: “my life force... my everything, my one and only, my number one.”
He sings about this on his album Love and Titanium – a title that says it all: love and titanium. The two things that helped him heal. “From knee to ankle, my entire leg is titanium.”
Today, Renner sees his foundation, RennerVation, as his main mission. It supports disadvantaged and foster children by transforming old school buses into community spaces.
“The accident really shifted my focus this way. I can still work, but my primary goal now is to help wherever I can. It’s far more fulfilling than anything I’ve ever done – except raising my child.”
His Inner Strength Became What Truly Matters
“My mouth is still a total mess,” he laughs. “It looks fine, but when I close it, it feels like I’m crushing all my teeth together.” Still, he adds, “My mind still feels like it’s twenty years old.”
Though once famous for his physique and stunt work, today he values his inner strength more than ever. “I’ve never connected with others like this, never been this open and loving. And I’ve never received so much kindness. This connection was buried deep inside me before, but now it’s front and center. And that’s all that matters,” says the actor, who now sees living as a true privilege.
