Not long after Jeremy Renner was hospitalized in a snowmobile accident on New Year’s Day, he was already talking and laughing with distant friends.
Hugh Dillon, co-creator of Renner’s Paramount crime drama Mayor of Kingstown and co-star of the series, learned that Renner suffered After the accident with blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries, he was terrified for his friend, but it didn’t take long for Reiner to let his fear go.
“I want to fly out and see him,” Dillon said in an interview with USA TODAY on Wednesday while promoting the new season of “Kingston,” which premieres Sunday. “Then I got a video of him being funny and blasphemous.”
“I was like okay, okay, he’s going to be in the minority.”
Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam emerges from the snowplow at his home in Reno, Nevada, on Jan. 1 to help a car that was stranded on the side of a snowy mountain when he was hit by his own vehicle press conference
Dillon became emotional, describing a day when he heard about the accident before hearing from Rainer himself.
“He’s like family now. He’s like a brother to me. I know what a fighter he is and how unstoppable he is. Then hearing the accident, my head hangs and I’m just at my lowest point, I just want to find him and fix him,” he said. But then “25 hours later, I had tears in my eyes because I was laughing at the video of him cursing me in the hospital.”
“That’s what he does. He cares about other people. He wants you to know, ‘I’m fine. I’m on my way back. It’s a comeback.'”
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In “Kingston,” which returns for its second season on Sunday, Rainer plays Mike McCluskey, the unofficial mayor of a small Michigan town that is gripped by multiple jails. Intervening constantly between the prisoners, guards, police and criminals outside is Mike, the only one interested in keeping the peace. Dillon, who co-wrote the series with “Yellowstone” creator Tyler Sheridan, plays jaded local cop Ian Ferguson.
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“He’s so committed,” Dillon said of Renner’s performance in the darkly violent series. “He’s found another outfit. He’s like De Niro in Raging Bull.” I know him as a person, but I’ve seen him transform into a character, and I know what he’s capable of. “
Jeremy Renner speaks out after snowplow accident
In addition to keeping in touch with close friends and family, Renner, who also plays the archer Hawkeye in the Marvel movies and TV shows, updated his followers on Instagram last week, sharing a photo of him in a hospital bed .
“Thank you all for your kind words,” Renner wrote in a selfie. “I’m too messed up to type right now. But my love to all of you.”
Baran provided more details about the “tragic accident” at a news conference on Jan. 3.
The accident happened after Renner used his snowcat to help a family member who was driving Renner’s personal vehicle, who became stranded in the snow near the actor’s home, Balaam said.
After towing the snowcat, which weighed more than 14,000 pounds, Rainer got out to talk to his family when his snowcat started rolling, Baran said. He added that Reiner was run over by the snowcat while trying to get back into the driver’s seat. Snowcat stopped in a pile of snow.
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Contributed by: Charles Trepany, Kim Willis