At this point, Marvel Studios has amassed a wide range of talented actors to play its iconic heroes. However, no matter how much time passes, fans surely remember that this universe all started with the original six Avengers. Jeremy Renner holds the distinction of playing one of those founding heroes, who stood tall on the big screen while facing down an alien invasion in 2012. A lot has happened for the 51-year-old actor (and his character) since he first signed with the studio and, following the release of Disney+’s Hawkeye, he’s been somewhat reflective. With this, the star is now opening up about the “greatest thing” that’s come from his journey.
It’s honestly still hard to believe that this coming May will mark a decade since the release of The Avengers. What’s even more bittersweet is that some of the characters from that film have since been written out due to their actors exiting the franchise. Jeremy Renner seems to have enjoyed his time as the stoic and dry-witted Clint Barton – and I’m sure his bank account has loved it, too. However, as the Oscar-nominated actor explained on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcastt, it’s the friendships he developed with his fellow actors that have truly made the job worthwhile:
The greatest thing that ever came from the last eleven years of Marvel world for me, or even all of us is the original A6 have been along the whole journey. There's been marriages and divorces and kids being born and a lot of shifts and changes in our personal lives, as well as our acting lives that we all share together in a very specific way.
Those who’ve seen group interviews featuring the six OG Avengers stars likely know just how close they are. As the actor mentioned, they’ve seen plenty of ups and downs over the past decade but, through it all, they’ve been there for one another. So it’s kind of hard to imagine there was a time in which they weren’t all familiar with each other. Jeremy Renner actually mentioned during the same interview that Robert Downey Jr. had a hilarious first impression of the “tall” and “charming” Chris Hemsworth. Speaking of the Thor actor, it seems Renner was actually looking to link up with the Australian star when he recorded the podcast:
And the takeaway of like having Hemsworth -- he just got back to LA actually so I'm gonna try to hit him up after this-- but all them, they're like family to me. And you can't replace that or quantify it. We all got tattoos together just to symbolize our bond, our love. It's like five other people speak the same language, you're gonna talk with them a little bit better, right? Because everybody's a celebrity in their own right, but a Marvel celebrity, especially as the original six, has just been a different kind of journey.
There’s definitely a level of weight that comes with being an MCU star, and the original group arguably feels it the most, regardless of whether they’re still part of the franchise or not. Still, just about all of the stars seem to handle it in stride. Jeremy Renner’s tenure hasn’t been totally smooth, as he nearly quit once because he believed the work may consume his personal life. However, things worked out, and he seemingly hasn’t looked back. The Hurt Locker alum has done very well with the Marvel stardom since then and also seems to appreciate the love from the fans. As a matter of fact, he told our own Sean O’Connell that through his interactions with them, he’s learned just how much the franchise means to so many.
Though he and his character have seen just about everything at this point, the veteran actor was still given quite the thrill in his self-titled Disney+ limited series. He got to do some cool things alongside co-star Hailee Steinfeld, which included shooting a sequence that gave him a “Disney ride feeling.” The performer has also forged relationships with his newer co-stars like Steinfeld, who he wanted to “protect” while on set. One of the Hawkeye finale’s biggest takeaways waas that Clint has seemingly put up his bow for good, but let’s hope we get to see Jeremy Renner suit up again at some point in the future.
You can relieve Jeremy Renner’s greatest MCU moments by streaming The Infinity Saga movies and Hawkeye on Disney+.
