Jeremy Renner wears his scars proudly from the traumatic snowplow incident more than one year ago that nearly cost him his life.
The "Mayor of Kingstown" star showed off his recovery efforts and went shirtless on the cover of Men's Health July/August issue. Coming back to work on Season 3 of the popular series one year after the accident wasn't a breeze by any means, but Renner committed to himself, the cast and the fans of the show.
"Four months of abuse," Renner said of his workouts with personal trainer Cat Cantella. "Physical, mental, emotional. But I feel great and I look great!"
Renner started at-home rehabilitation prior to returning to Pittsburgh to film "Kingstown," but admitted he was barely prepared for the first day of filming in a cemetery where temperatures didn't reach above 40 degrees.
"I was pretty f---ing fragile when we started on Jan. 8. We’re walking around on ice, and I have no energy," Renner said. "I was falling asleep. But I think it’ll be the best season yet because of it. Don’t get me wrong, Mike’s still Mike — he’s still the guy you want as your friend. But it’s more emotional, because I'm more emotional."
JEREMY RENNER SAW HIS OWN EYEBALL AFTER NEAR-FATAL SNOWPLOW ACCIDENT: ‘I GUESS THAT’S REAL'
Renner nearly pulled out of the show at one point due to his own mental blockage, and said he had no interest in working on any "fiction" shows.
"Because, dude, the last thing I wanted to do — to be honest with you, I almost pulled shoot and doing this show — was fiction," he said. "Like, ‘Oh wait, I don’t give a s--- about fiction!’ Bulls--- words and bulls--- stories and bulls--- character. It’s all bulls---. I gotta live in real reality here, because these bones and these joints — and I gotta go say fake lines and fake words and pretend to be… what? I got no time to f---ing pretend, man!"
He added, "So here’s how I shifted it, because I only have control of my perspective: I’m coming to Pittsburgh to recover in my body and get better every f---ing day, and I’m gonna do this show on the side. Instead of it being the other way around."
JEREMY RENNER IS ‘KIND OF EXCITED’ FOR DEATH FOLLOWING SNOWPLOW INCIDENT
On Jan. 1, 2023, Renner was airlifted to a hospital after he was run over by his own Snowcat while attempting to tow a vehicle stuck in the snow near his home in the Sierra Nevada mountains. He suffered more than 30 broken bones, blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries.
WATCH: DEPUTIES PIECE TOGETHER JEREMY RENNER'S SNOWPLOW ACCIDENT
Bodycam footage showed what unfolded during Renner's traumatic snowplow accident on New Year's Day near his home in Lake Tahoe, California, where he was "completely crushed" by his 14,000-pound PistenBully Snowcat.
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A massive snowstorm the night before had left multiple vehicles stranded, and Renner attempted to move one vehicle from his driveway by using his PistenBully. He successfully moved the car, exited the PistenBully and was speaking with a family member when the snowplow began to roll unexpectedly.
Washoe County Sheriff's Department officials responded to the bloody scene, which was reported by a neighbor shortly before 9 a.m. Renner was attempting to help his nephew, Alex Fries, move a truck which was stuck in the snow. Renner exited the snowplow to check on his nephew, but it kept moving, so he jumped back on to stop the snowplow only to get caught in the tread.
After Renner was transported away from the scene, a paramedic could be heard saying, "I've never seen anything like this."
"What a f---ing disaster, dude," Renner told Men's Health of his recovery. "Showering, going to the bathroom — everything was a disaster."
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He added, "They give you medications so you don’t go to the bathroom, so you get constipated. And you pee in a jar. It was awful. That’s when you know things aren’t going great — you’re peeing in a plastic jug. It took me 17 minutes to get out of bed."
Following the accident and his discharge from the hospital, the "Hawkeye" star kept his fans updated on his progress via social media.
"There’s a lot of people that love me. And I had no idea," Renner told Men's Health. "I had to learn how to receive all this love, and it’s not easy. From people you don’t even know, even.
"Why is this accident such a thing? But then I said, ‘F---, stop asking why. Just receive it.’ I was famous for having a bow and arrow; now I’m famous for overcoming something as a man."
