Summary

Horror films brought comfort to Jeremy Renner during his ICU stay, offering an unexpected escape from the reality of his recovery.
Renner found solace in horror movies like
Barbarian
, and used laughter as his way through the grueling recovery process.
Laughter truly is the best medicine for Renner, as he shared that humor was his guiding light during his healing journey.

It’s been over a year since the unfortunate accident that left Jeremy Renner with 38 broken bones and a punctured lung, and while the 53-year-old actors’ recovery was a lengthy and grueling process, he took comfort in the most unlikely of things during his time in the ICU: horror films. Renner’s accident occurred on January 1, 2023, when he pushed his nephew out of the way of an oncoming snowplow, only to get run over by the more than 14,000 pound vehicle himself. He underwent surgery to repair the immediate damage, and spent several weeks in the ICU before being moved home to recover.

Appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast this week, host Josh Horowitz brought up the subject of comfort films, and how during the pandemic people found solace in watching movies. He asked Renner if the Mayor of Kingstown star took comfort in that sort of thing during his recovery, and it was then that Renner revealed what he watched while in the ICU. Check out his comments below.

“Yeah, horror films.
I watched horror films
. Even in the ICU, I had this little projector, and like, since everybody else is moaning in that damn ICU, I’m gonna play these horror films, like no joke. This is how bananas I was, and again, a little loopy, but I found comfort in watching these horror films.”

The two shared a good laugh over Renner’s response, but Horowitz wasn’t done yet. He asked the MCU alumnus which horror films he watched, to which Renner responded:

“
Barbarian
. Love that film, such a good film, right?
I’ve seen it so many times
. I love it, it brings me so much joy, right? That movie brings me so much joy. I played that in both ICUs that I was in. I’m gonna out-moan you in here.”

Released in 2022, Barbarian is directed by Zack Cregger and stars Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård, and Justin Long in the story about a young woman who discovers the rental home she booked is already occupied by a stranger. Against her better judgment, she decides to spend the night, but soon discovers there’s a lot more to fear than just an unexpected house guest.

Humor Was Jeremy Renner’s Way Through Everything During Recovery

While the pair may have had a good laugh over Renner’s choice of comfort films during his time in the ICU, Horowitz made note of that old adage that says laughter is the best medicine. Jeremy Renner, who returned to acting earlier this year, agreed with the Happy Sad Confused host, saying humor was his way through everything.

“Humor was the way through everything, dude. I mean honestly, it was my way through everything. So I don’t take this s*it too seriously. If I looked at everything that was going on for what it was, or took it at face value… dude, role me off a cliff. I think I did say that at one point [to the nurses]. ‘Anything else I can get you Mr. Renner?’ Yeah, a tall bridge.”

Related Jeremy Renner Addresses His Mission: Impossible Exit and Potential Franchise Return Jeremy Renner joined the Mission: Impossible franchise in 2011’s Ghost Protocol and returned for its follow-up Rogue Nation in 2015.

It’s good to see Jeremy Renner back in high spirits following the accident that nearly claimed his life, and that he’s now able to laugh about these things with gallows humor.

Mayor of Kingstown
is available to stream on
Paramount+
and you can check out the trailer for Season 3 which just hit the streamer on June 2, 2024, below.