Jeremy Renner Once Revealed the 1 Marvel Character That He Couldn’t Relate to
Marvel star Jeremy Renner made his mark on the cinematic comic book universe as Hawkeye. Avengers saw him teaming up with several superheroes, but there was one he worked alongside with that he couldn’t relate to. So much so that if he was offered the character, he would’ve passed on him without hesitation.
Jeremy Renner wouldn’t have played this Marvel character
It didn’t take long for Renner to sign with Marvel after he was approached for the role. The studio already built up some good will with Renner thanks to 2008’s Iron Man. Though he knew little about the character, he assumed that the superhero archer would be handled similarly.
“I remember going in to talk with [Marvel Studios president] Kevin Feige and [Marvel Studios co-president] Lou D’Esposito, and they’d show me the Ultimates version of Hawkeye. Iron Man had come out, and I said, ‘I’m into what you guys are doing because I loved Iron Man. I like how you made Iron Man plausible. So that’s where they wanted to go with [Hawkeye]. I’m like, ‘Great,’” Renner said in an interview with Vanity Fair.
However, Renner started second-guessing doing the film when he realized how long he’d be playing Hawkeye for.
“You gotta kinda sign on for a bunch of Avengers films and potential Hawkeye films, kind of sign your life away. I’m like, ‘Wait, I might be 50 in tights,’” Renner said. “That was my main concern. I’m like, ‘I don’t know if I want to do this. I don’t know if anyone wants to see me in tights at 50.’”
Renner’s estimation wasn’t far off at all. The actor was already fifty when he was last seen as Hawkeye in his titular television series. But Hawkeye has been more than good for the character, earning Renner a nice fortune and his own spin-off show. Renner also found his role very relatable, more so than other Marvel characters who he teamed up with. Thor, for instance, was one superhero he would’ve turned down playing no matter what.
“I’d have passed on Thor all day long – not that I’d ever be cast in that – but like, that kind of thing I’d be like, ‘I don’t know how to do that, I’m sorry,’” Renner once said according to FemaleFirst.
Jeremy Renner was once frustrated by his Hawkeye character
Renner has been given much more to do as Hawkeye the longer he’s portrayed the superhero. But initially, he was a little confused regarding his character’s direction. In the first Avengers movie, although Renner plays an important part, Hawkeye succumbs to mind control. It was a storyline that Renner wasn’t too fond of, as it delayed the character development he was hoping to see in the role.
“I was just getting to know who Hawkeye was, and then zap, I go round like a zombie, I’m like Loki’s minion. And I’m still not even sure who Hawkeye was at that point,” Renner once said according to Playlist. “So I’m a little frustrated, because I was so excited to figure out who Hawkeye was. I just had a heart attack in every scene. I’d just be walking with…Scarlett Johansson, and just like be ugh [clutching my chest]. And they said, ‘What are you doing man?’ I’m giving you an option if you just want to kick me out of this movie. Just you know, at any given moment, if you wanna kill me off, daddy’s gonna be having a heart attack.”
This would change later on. Subsequent films like Age of Ultron and Civil War allowed much more exploration of Renner’s character. Hawkeye, especially, gave Renner several episodes to familiarize himself with the superhero in a way he’d never had before.
It seems that whatever reservations Renner had about playing the superhero have been addressed. Renner would even be eager to return to the role if Marvel gave him a call.
“Getting asked back to do those things would always be an honour. I’m always willing to get ready. I think I need something to look forward to, or something to try and achieve…keeps me going in my progress. Stuff like that, ‘oh, can I ever get back to that kind of shape’ to be able to be that flexible with all these busted-old hips and things? Yeah, I think it would be a good challenge, and I’m up for it,” he said in an interview with JoBlo.
