“F—-ing Forever”: Jeremy Renner On Embracing His New Normal After Tragic Accident
For Jeremy Renner, recovery is more than a process; it’s a lifelong commitment. The 53-year-old star of Mayor of Kingstown faced a life-altering snowplow accident in January 2023, critically injuring him and breaking more than 30 bones. Despite miraculous improvements, Jeremy accepts that the “recovery” label is here to stay.
“I had to accept it for the rest of my life. There’ll be nothing normal or as it was prior to the accident. By the way, I’m okay with that. It’s making my life better. I’m healthier because of it,” Renner shared with PEOPLE while discussing his partnership with Brooks Running.
The incident happened when Jeremy was helping a family member free a stuck vehicle after a heavy snowfall. He was run over by a 14,300-pound snowplow, resulting in multiple surgeries and an extensive rehabilitation process.
“I get to focus more on my health and well-being than I ever did before because I have to. Recovery will be until I’m out of this old hot mess of a body. It was a way for me to really accept that it is going to be forever,” he added.
Initially, Jeremy hoped his recovery wouldn’t be a permanent struggle. He recalls a pivotal moment overhearing his physical therapist inform his mother about the long-term nature of his recovery. “I wasn’t in the room. [My physical therapist] said what I didn’t want him to say, which is like, ‘This is f—-ing forever.'” So I just manned up, chin up, let’s go. Here we go. That’s how we do it,” the actor added.
Jeremy’s approach to recovery involved changing his perspective and embracing wellness. “We just change the perspective of it and let it be. At least I like wellness and taking care of yourself, for the most part. I think it’s a pretty good thing,” he reflected.
A key part of his journey has been regaining movement, learning to walk and eventually run again. His Brooks Running shoes played a significant role in his comfort and mobility. “It helped me get a positive perspective on my joints. There was a lot of cushioning in these dang shoes, and it did really help!” he said, adding, “[Brooks] has this ‘let’s run there’ attitude, which is really symbolic of both my journey of recovery and where that is for anybody, because it’s not specific to me — everyone has got their own journey. Everybody’s got their own obstacles. I’m glad to be along for the ride.”
Returning to acting was another major step for Jeremy. He resumed his role in Mayor of Kingstown for its third season, which is scheduled to premiere on June 2. In January, he opened up about his nerves getting back to work.
“I don’t know if I’m looking forward to it. Again, I try to just do everything kind of step by step here. That’s one foot in front of the other one. Then you’re walking. I think I’m excited when I’m there and I get in a rhythm there. I’m excited about the character and, of course, all the people involved and all that in the storyline, but for me, I’m just tentative of confidence in work,” he added.
