Jeremy Renner on Hawkeye’s role in Avengers: Infinity War, the Weinstein problem, and why he is ‘not focusing on new work’
US actor, 46, was a talent ambassador for the second International Film Festival and Awards in Macau. His involvement in blockbuster franchises has brought him to Asia regularly – but his Mandarin still needs working on
“A haircut is a haircut”, Jeremy Renner says with a shrug. Arriving fresh from the set of Avengers 4, the two-time Oscar-nominated American actor is sporting a bold mohawk that suggests a new look for Hawkeye, the world-class archer he portrays in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, alongside superheroes Iron Man and Captain America.
“Sometimes I get a choice in the matter, and sometimes …” he shrugs again, gesturing towards his closely shaved temples. Renner, 46, was chatting with the Post in an interview in Macau, where he served as a talent ambassador for the second International Film Festival and Awards Macao.
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As we speak, the first trailer for Avengers: Infinity War has just hit the internet. The film brings together the likes of Thor, Doctor Strange and the Guardians of the Galaxy for the first time, but Hawkeye is nowhere to be seen. While we know Renner does feature in the film, his absence from the two-minute promo has ignited speculation that his character’s days may be numbered.
“I don’t pay attention to that sort of stuff,” he says dismissively. “I was just excited that we got a trailer together and it’s coming out – that is a pretty killer trailer.”
Not that he could tell us more. It has become routine for cast and crew on blockbusters of this scale to be sworn to secrecy ahead of a film’s release, legally prohibited from discussing anything about the film they are supposed to be promoting.
“It’s difficult, because you want to speak about the movie but you can’t. There’s a lot of superheroes in it,” Renner says with a chuckle. “And it’s gonna be big and it’s gonna be awesome. But I can’t really talk about the movie.”
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Diehard fans in some corners of the online community have also suggested that Clint Barton, Hawkeye’s alter ego, may adopt a new persona, that of wandering warrior Ronin. “I can’t get into the theories … I know [Ronin] is in the comics, but otherwise I don’t really know anything about that stuff,” he says.
