Actor Jeremy Renner has spoken up to say the way the cast of The Avengers portrays themselves in interviews and online–that is, that they are a close-knit group of good friends–is not for show. It’s real. Speaking to Men’s Health, Renner–who plays Hawkeye in the MCU–said, “Oh, f**k yeah, it’s a real thing–it’s not just for Instagram.”
“We have a family chat and have for a long time. When you work with people–look, we all went through a culturally significant experience together. And there’s divorces and marriages and babies; a lot of stuff happened in these 12 years,” he said. “In the films, we look like we’re at a costume party, and there’s ridiculous props and we’re doing these ridiculous things, but it’s also beautiful because we’re all connected.”
Renner went on to further describe how closely connected he feels to other members of the cast, to this day.
“There’s a brotherhood or sisterhood or whatever the heck you want to call it. I just call it love. I love every one of them. I’d rather go to jail with Downey than go do something amazing by myself. I’d rather get in a car crash with Evans,” he sad.
When Renner broke 30+ bones in a horrific snowplow accident and was on life support, his MCU co-stars like Anthony Mackie and Paul Rudd visited him at the hospital in person, while Robert Downey Jr. spoke with Renner over FaceTime time and again, Renner said.
Renner played Hawkeye in films dating back to 2011’s Thor, before reprising the character in The Avengers, The Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Avengers: Endgame. He also came back to play Hawkeye in the Disney+ series Hawkeye. Earlier this year, Renner said he would be “game” to come back to play Hawkeye again if Marvel asks him.
Beyond the MCU series, Renner is known for his roles in The Hurt Locker and The Town, both of which he earned Academy Award nominations for. He is part of the ensemble cast for the next Knives Out movie, Wake Up Dead Man, which is set for release in 2025.
