Over the years, Jeremy Renner has portrayed different roles in a plethora of film genres and has become an A-tier actor. Renner is often regarded as one of the most versatile and talented actors in Hollywood. But one must not be fooled by his portrayal of Hawkeye in the MCU, as he has played roles that have earned him Academy Award nominations.
His most gripping role was of William James in The Hurt Locker has earned him a Golden Globe Award. However, Jeremy Renner was immensely scared when he was supposed to travel to the Middle East. He was scared to the point, where he hid his nationality, pretended to be a Canadian citizen, and had quite a difficult time while working on the 2008 film.
Jeremy Renner Recalls How He Pretended to be a Canadian For Safety Concerns
The Hurt Locker is one of the most remarkable films to be ever done by Jeremy Renner, which captures the attention of the audience by featuring adrenaline-fueled moments, whilst exploring the struggles and conflicts of Staff Sergeant William James (Renner). The war thriller was directed by Kathryn Bigelow, showcasing the psychological effects of soldiers in a war-torn Iraq.
During an exclusive interview with Cinema Blend, the Tag actor recalled his experience of shooting the film in Jordan. The actor was extremely afraid of visiting the country as he was unaware of Muslim as well as Middle Eastern culture, hence, he pretended to be a Canadian citizen.
He said,
“I was scared before, I’ll be honest with you. I was an ignorant American, not knowing very much about Muslim culture or the Middle East, for that matter. So I was going over as a Canadian. I had Canadian hats and T-shirts. I didn’t know! “I can’t be an American in the Middle East.” And after being there, there people are so generous and welcoming.”
He added,
“We learned that they’re more Westernized than I ever thought. We’re their biggest ally over there. Obviously the heat sucks. It’s unbearable. The Red Sea, the Dead Sea, all within hours of each other. Amazing, amazing place.”
While Renner was afraid for his life, when went to the Middle to shoot the war thriller, he did not hesitate for a moment to kill his character in the MCU, that too for obvious reasons.
Jeremy Renner Was Sick of Playing Hawkeye in The Avengers
Jeremy Renner has been portraying the role of Clint Barton/ Hawkeye since 2011, and he has been part of the original 6 Avengers, together with his co-stars like Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, and many more, have added to the franchise’s success. However, he has never been too fond of his character.
During a Q&A session at London Film and Comic-Con via Radio Times, he shared how he despised playing the character, and how he had to figure out his role of being “Loki’s minion.” He said,
“I never really told anybody this. But in the first Avengers… 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. So I’m a little frustrated, because I was so excited to figure out who Hawkeye was.”
He added,
“I just had a heart attack in every scene – I’d just be walking with… Scarlett Johansson, and just like be ugh,” Renner said, clutching his chest theatrically. “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.”
Although he was annoyed playing the role, he soon changed his decision and continued to be a key figure in the franchise as the first film became a massive success, accumulating a whopping $1.5 billion at the international box office.
The Hurt Locker can be streamed on AppleTV+.
