Jeremy Renner: The Diane Sawyer Interview - General Discussion

[DanaK]

ABC interview special, April 6, 10pm ET. Diane interviews the Marvel actor, who was run over and crushed by his snowplow in January 1. He talks about his survival

[DanaK]

Dang this guy is tough. It’s really hard to believe he survived such a terrible accident

[Bastet]

As I said in another thread, because I had no idea who Renner is, I didn't pay attention to anything beyond the headlines that some guy got run over by a snowplow and lived to tell about it, so the promo for this interview revealing the extent of his injuries got me interested in what his medical team had accomplished and that he was trying to save his nephew in the first place got me emotionally invested enough to watch this to fill myself in on the details.

It's well done, and particularly effective to use the footage from just hours and minutes before, showing how things can go from normal to devastating with no notice.

Set the parking brake, dude, but what a horrible price to pay for a mistake, and he jumped back on a deadly machine out of fear for his nephew.  The "I'm sorry" in sign language to his family?  OUCH.  I love his appreciation for their support, and for his insurance coverage (and money to cover the difference).  He's doing the physical work, but acknowledges his advantages and credits his mental strength to his mom.  Lovely.

His mom reading him Stephen King is hilarious.  As is "holy fuck" in his note letting them know he's still there mentally.

"I could see my eye with my other eye" is haunting.  And the nephew's trauma, and the neighbors waiting 20 minutes for EMTs to make their way there, are terrible to contemplate.

 

[emma675]

@Bastet agree with everything you posted. 

I did know who he was (I'm a Marvel fan and Renner was excellent in the Hurt Locker) and I've followed along as he's provided updates on his recovery. 

He should have died. I'm amazed and thankful he didn't, but I can't imagine what that's like to live with, having been through and witnessing it. For him, his nephew, and the couple who were with him trying to help. Even with the outcome, those are terrible memories to have. 

The producers did a great job building up to and painting a picture of the accident and the immediate aftermath. I didn't realize how tense I was until it went to commercial. And hearing Renner moaning and fighting to breathe in the background of the 911 call was horrible. The surgeon (the one they called the carpenter) describing how all of his ribs bring broken prevented his ribcage from expanding and contracting as normal as he tried to breathe made me shudder. I believed the red haired lady who was with him when she said she thought she saw him pass away for a few seconds and then come back. You have to have an iron will to live through that. 

Renner's family seems great; chaotic, loud, funny, loving, and loyal as hell. His mom reading him Stephen King books, his sister washing his hair in the hospital and joking about him, the nephew who didn't leave his side. I get why Renner's first words were signing "I'm sorry" to them. There's a lot of love there. I hope they're all healing from this. 

I'm with his mom, though. Burn that snowcat to the ground and don't look back.

[Shannon L.]

It's so hard to process what he went through, even after seeing the show.  How fortunate it was for him that the other couple was home at the time-I'm sure there will be a life long bond between them now. My initial thoughts were that it would have been easier for him if he'd passed out, but now I'm sure that if he had, he'd have probably died.  The strength and will to stay awake must be tremendous. I can't even begin to imagine what it was like for him.  He's lucky to be alive, he's lucky he didn't lose a leg, he's lucky to be walking. I also like how he laid out exactly what happened and admitted that it was his fault-that in his rush, he did something stupid. Haven't we all done things in the heat of the moment without thinking?  But, what a hell of a price to pay for it.  He's doing well, thank God, but I can imagine that there will always be some pain and, eventually, arthritis is going to settle into some of those areas where he broke bones.  I'm sure his money will help him get certain treatments that others can't, but it I think old age will be tough for him now.

He seems wonderful, as does his family.  If I didn't already like him before, I definitely would have after seeing the interview.

[SunnyBeBe]

I started thinking about man, he must have not had safety training on that equipment when he beat me to it and admitted that what he did was his mistake.  He messed up and hates it, HOWEVER, he wasn’t going to let that mistake ruin his life nor let it become his internal dialogue forever.  Shake it off and move forward!  I like that.  That makes sense and is exactly the right philosophy!  Feeling guilty serves no purpose.  I was super impressed with this guy.  I think he knows he doesn’t have to be so strong though.  Brave is better than strong and he is super brave.  Hope he allows himself all the time he needs and the right to not be so strong all the time.  He really shines through to me.   I now have a huge crush on him!  Plus, we share a birthday!  It must feel good to be such an inspiration to others.  

Edited April 10, 2023 by SunnyBeBe