Jeremy Renner has done a wide variety of roles over the years but he’s often in the news for his brilliant work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Clint Barton/Hawkeye.
The archery skills of the former special agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. might not be the most exciting of superpowers in the MCU, but the character is still viewed as a leading figure due to the guidance and support he has provided to the Avengers. Further, through his frequent appearances in the franchise, Renner has made millions. As per The Daily Brit, the 52-year-old has made around $44.54 million from all of his Marvel movies and is the highest-paid actor of all the original Avengers cast based on average pay per second.
However, before he started bagging these staggering paychecks, Renner’s career traveled through several unexpected jobs. We take a look at three of the lot.
Fragrance Model
Jeremy Renner made his film debut in the 1995 comedy National Lampoon’s Senior Trip. Before he landed the opportunity to portray an underachieving student in the movie, the aspiring actor who took a drama class as an elective in college worked as a Fragrance model in the early 1990s.
He worked in a mall with a friend during the Christmas season. This gig helped Renner not only make some good money but also friends within the cosmetic department who helped him bag his next job come January.
Makeup Artist
After the Christmas season, an opening at the Lancôme cosmetics counter emerged. Thanks to the connections he made from his previous job, Renner approached the department without knowing anything about cosmetics. At the time, he was also doing theater.
He didn’t possess sufficient knowledge and experience with makeup and had only done his makeup to date. But he had enough confidence to go into a meeting with girls. In an interview, he said he could offer a unique perspective on the job. “‘Wouldn’t it be interesting to get a man’s opinion on how a woman looks like with makeup on?'” he said (via Armchair Expert podcast).
His tactic worked and he got the job. Rather than focusing too much on skin-care routines, his approach to the job was asking women a lot of questions to understand them because he thought beauty was all psychological.
Real Estate Developer
While the aforementioned jobs only helped Renner get by while he focused on doing theater, this job has helped him make millions.
In the last decade or two, he has bought and remodeled several homes with his real estate partner, Kristoffer Winters. According to a report in Robb Report, he once acquired, renovated, and sold a Holmby Hills estate to Christian Candy, brother of luxury property developer Nick Candy, for $24 million.
When asked what’s tougher: playing the Marvel superhero or transforming different properties, Renner revealed to succeed in both, one has to be all in, and both are hugely rewarding creatively and financially.
