“He’s like family now. He’s like a brother to me. And I know what a fighter he is and how unstoppable he is. And then to hear about the accident, my head’s hanging and I’m just at the lowest and I just want to find him and fix him,” he said. But then “25 hours later, I’ve got tears in my eyes because I’m laughing at his video of him in a hospital swearing at me.”
“It’s just what he does. He cares about everybody else. He wants to let you know, ‘I’m good. I’m on my way back. It’s the comeback.'”
More: Jeremy Renner breaks silence after getting run over by snowcat
In “Kingstown,” which returns for a second season Sunday, Renner plays Mike McLusky, the unofficial mayor of a Michigan town that is dominated by multiple prisons. Running interference between the inmates, guards, cops and criminals on the outside is Mike, the only person interested in keeping the peace. Dillon, who co-created the series with “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan, plays local jaded cop Ian Ferguson.
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“He’s so committed,” Dillon says of Renner’s performance in the dark and violent series. “He’s found another gear. He’s like DeNiro in ‘Raging Bull.’ I know him as a person, but yet I see his transformation into the character and I know what he’s capable of.”
Jeremy Renner speaks out after snow plow accident
In addition to keeping in touch with his close friends and family, Renner, who also plays archer Hawkeye in Marvel films and TV shows, updated his fans on Instagram last week, sharing a picture from his hospital bed.
“Thank you all for your kind words,” Renner captioned a selfie. “Im too messed up now to type. But I send love to you all.”
Balaam offered further details about the “tragic accident” at the Jan. 3 press conference.
Balaam said the accident occurred after Renner used his snowcat to help a family member who had driven one of Renner’s personal vehicles and was stuck in the snow near the actor’s home.
After towing the vehicle with his snowcat, which weighs over 14,000 pounds, Renner got out to speak to the family member, when his snowcat started to roll, Balaam said. He added Renner was run over by the snowcat while attempting to get back in its driver’s seat. The snowcat came to rest in a pile of snow.
More: Jeremy Renner undergoes surgery after snow-plowing accident, remains in critical but stable condition
Contributing: Charles Trepany, Kim Willis
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