Jeremy Renner is taking over (and why I’m okay with that)

With The Bourne Legacy in theaters today, and The Avengers before that, and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol in December, Jeremy Renner is taking over — and I’m completely fine with that. In fact, I encourage his further domination.

I distinctly remember a conversation I had with a friend when we went to see S.W.A.T. nine years ago. It wasn’t the best movie in the world, but I liked it. Part of why I liked it was the guy who played cop-turned-villain Brian Gamble. I recall that I pointed at him, turned to my friend and said, “Remember him, because we’re going to hear from him again someday.” That guy was Jeremy Renner. And it brings me no small amount of joy, having watched him be very good over the last nine years, to see him finally raking in the Oscar nominations and top-tier parts.

That’s not because I’m gloating (although I admit that I am gloating, just a little). It’s because I’ve known for so long that Renner deserves the attention, the nominations, the bigger opportunities that are now coming his way.

I also remember watching a mostly overlooked TV series called The Unusuals in 2009, where he was the lead. There’s a part in the pilot episode that is one of the best scenes ever to exist on television. It’s just Renner delivering a monologue after the death of his character’s colleague. The scene is perfection. I cried when I first saw it and I cry every time since, because he pulled me into that moment with his character and made me really feel something profound.

After The Unusuals came The Hurt Locker and The Town. I don’t know what I can really say about his performances in those movies that hasn’t already been said with two Oscar nominations. I’ll say that Hurt Locker is one of my all-time favorite movies largely because of Renner’s performance, which was both admirable and heartbreaking simultaneously. The movie’s started to pop up on cable now, and every time I see it’s on I have to click over, even if only for a minute, just so I can watch this man act and continue to be awed by what he can do.

And that’s the right word for it, awed. When I heard that Renner had been cast as Hawkeye, who happens to be my all-time favorite Marvel Comics superhero, in The Avengers, I could hardly contain myself. The fact that one of my favorite actors was playing my favorite hero was a dream come true; even if he was woefully underused, Renner still delivered the Hawkeye I’d always envisioned seeing on the big screen since I was a kid. Now he’s playing a kick-ass spy and looking for all the world like he could do it in his sleep.

What makes him one of the best there is at what he does? It’s obvious that he puts a lot of hard work into each of his roles, be it keeping up with the physical demands or just giving a dedicated performance. Renner will never be accused of phoning it in. And as is evident in The Bourne Legacy, he’s got the prowess and the presence to be an action star. But action doesn’t always require acting, and that’s where Renner is aces.

With every character he plays, he’s able to bring them to life as fully realized people, whether it’s a good guy or a bad guy, a starring part or supporting role. There’s a certain emotional intensity in everything he does that creates an empathy between him and the audience. It makes you remember him. While I’ve got a lot of actors I love to watch, I can recall each role that Renner has taken in the nine years I’ve been following him, which is something I can’t say for many others. There’s a film called Take he did a few years ago, and if you can manage to find a copy, he’ll rip your heart out in it even though he’s playing a character who isn’t necessarily sympathetic. He really does put himself out there on film and it’s impossible not to respond to that.

The proverbial icing on the cake is that he seems to be a genuinely good, no-bull, hardworking dude in real life. I have not had the pleasure of meeting him, and now that he’s a superstar, I strongly doubt I ever will. But with every interview of his I read, I feel like this is a guy I could just sit down and have a conversation with, and probably a really interesting one at that. This is somebody I want to meet, if only so I could shake his hand and thank him for a near-decade’s worth of performances that have genuinely moved me.

There are a lot of great actors out there, but rare are the ones who make me stop and go, “I’m really lucky to be watching this.” Jeremy Renner is one of those rare actors that I feel so lucky to have gotten to watch. I’m thrilled that he’s finally becoming a bonafide star, and I’m just going to sit back and enjoy his continued success.

Clacked by Brittany Frederick
on Aug 10, 2012 @ 15:00 EST5EDT