Jeremy Renner is one of Hollywood's most popular and prolific actors, having landed two Oscar
nominations and a coveted role in the Avengers movies in just over five years.
His personal life, however, has played out like catnip for the press.
Here are some of the many times the media has attempted to find the man behind the curtain.
If you've never heard about Renner's music career, you're probably not alone.
But according to IndieWire, he's particularly prolific on movie soundtracks, having recorded
songs for films like North Country and the Brad Pitt western The Assassination of Jesse
James by the Coward Robert Ford.
Unfortunately, fan reactions to his music haven't all been particularly nice.
One Twitter user wrote,
"Jeremy Renner does not have friends who are honest with him."
In 2019, when Renner released three songs in partnership with Jeep, Buzzfeed News likened
one of those songs, "Main Attraction" to:
"A bargain-basement Imagine Dragons."
Ouch.
Acting didn't always pay the bills for Renner, and even after he became a megastar, the actor
enjoyed keeping a side hustle.
While fans might picture the Marvel hero in a stereotypically burly side gig, he once
served as a makeup artist in a Modesto mall.
According to Women's Wear Daily, Renner took the job because he likes painting and found
it to be, in his words, a "great way to hit on chicks."
He continued after moving to Los Angeles, but then found a more lucrative gig in real
estate.
The star teamed up with a close friend to launch a house-flipping business, and according
to a 2016 Bloomberg profile, they had already remodeled over 20 homes in their then-15 year
partnership.
He told Women's Wear Daily in 2010,
"This acting thing doesn't pay.
We make money in real estate.
And that affords me, as an actor, to not have to take things because I need money.
I call it f--- you money."
"And often you were sleeping in those unfinished houses."
"Always.
That part sucked."
Of course, the acting thing does pay for Renner, now.
The star has an estimated net worth of $50 million.
According to Queerty, rumors about Renner's sexuality began in 2010, in part because one
of his old teachers told The National Enquirer,
"I have never had the pleasure of meeting Jeremy's boyfriend, but the fact that Jeremy
is gay has never been a primary concern."
Renner finally spoke out about the rumors to The Hollywood Reporter in 2012, saying,
"I want my personal life to be personal, and it's not f---ing true.
And I don't care if you're talking about things that are true, you're still talking about
my personal life...It's none of your goddamn business."
Renner bluntly discussed the rumors again in a 2015 profile for Playboy, saying,
"When you Google yourself and the first thing that comes up is 'Jeremy Renner gay,' it's
like, 'Oh, now you've arrived.
You're now a giant movie star.'
To suggest that it's negative, that being gay is a terrible thing, a perversion or whatever,
I just don't get it.
Don't you wish we were in a world where we're not shaming, judging, and boxing people in?"
From a publicity standpoint, 2015 wasn't exactly the strongest year for Renner.
In April that year, Renner experienced a major online backlash after calling the character
Black Widow a derogatory word for her romantic involvements with characters in the Avengers
series.
"She's a slut."
"I was going to say something along that line, complete whore."
Chris Evans immediately released a heartfelt apology that won fans over.
The statement Renner issued to The Hollywood Reporter, though, didn't go over quite as
well.
"I am sorry that this tasteless joke about a fictional character offended anyone.
It was not meant to be serious in any way.
Just poking fun during an exhausting and tedious press tour."
Renner seemed to shrug off the whole controversy during a subsequent interview on Conan.
"Now, look, mind you, I was talking about a fictional character, and fictional behavior,
but Conan if you slept with four of the six Avengers, no matter how much fun you had,
you'd be a slut."
Renner drew more criticism for his response to an essay on equal pay in Hollywood written
by his American Hustle co-star Jennifer Lawrence.
When asked by Business Insider if he would negotiate pay alongside his female co-stars,
Renner said,
"That's not my job…I don't know contracts and money and all that sort of stuff…I'm
a performer and I know human behavior.
When it comes to that sort of stuff I let other people deal with that."
Renner's comments generated a lot of press, in part because they contrasted with another
American Hustle castmate, Bradley Cooper, who publicly and clearly supported Lawrence.
Naturally, Renner took to social media to clarify his comments, calling the whole thing
a "media spin," and adding,
"On the issue of gender equality, I have always supported women deserving equal pay.
Period.
Gender, race, creed, or sexual orientation should have absolutely no influence in pay,
positively or negatively.
I have always asked for all of us to move towards a unity and equality not just in pay,
but social acceptance and discover compassion and tolerance within ourselves, to bridge
our differences."
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