Jeremy Renner felt such "exhilarating peace" while his life was in limbo following his 2023 snowplow accident that he didn't want to be revived.
The Mayor of Kingstown has frequently recalled the experience in interviews since his recovery, but on the May 20 episode of Kelly Ripa's podcast Let's Talk Off Camera, Renner shared his disappointment with being brought back to life. The actor was crushed by a 14,000 Sno-Cat plow on January 1, 2023, causing more than 30 broken bones, a broken cheekbone and collapsed lung. Renner required extensive surgeries after the accident ,with parts of his face, back and shin now containing metal plates. Renner also tackles the traumatic experience in his new memoir, My Next Breath.
Around the 25-minute mark of the podcast episode, Renner described his near-death experience as "a great relief."
"It’s a wonderful, wonderful relief to be removed from your body," he continued, calling it "the most exhilarating peace you could ever feel."
"You don’t see anything but what’s in your mind’s eye. Like, you’re the atoms of who you are, the DNA, your spirit. It’s the highest adrenaline rush, but the peace that comes with it… it’s magnificent. It’s so magical."
But Renner didn't want to "come back," and when he did, the actor was "pissed off."
"I’m like, 'Oh!' I came back and saw [my] eyeball and I’m like, Oh shit, I’m back. Saw my legs. I’m like, Yeah, that’s gonna hurt later. I’m like, All right, let me continue to breathe."
Renner went on to call life on Earth "the most remedial version of your spirit's existence is being on earth," and denied that he “spoke” to anyone while he was briefly unconscious.
But in his memoir, Renner said that he felt an urgency not to "let go" of his life.
"I didn’t fucking die," he wrote. "So the celebration of New Year becomes a recognition of the depth of the love in our family."
