New Year’s Day will be a strange time in actor Jeremy Renner's household. Two years ago, on January 1, the star of Hawkeye was involved in a horrific accident near his home in Reno, Nevada. In a moment of heroism, he stopped a six-tonne snowcat from sliding down the driveway towards his nephew but, as he attempted to regain control, got caught up and was crushed by the vehicle. Airlifted to hospital, Renner was ravaged. He broke 38 bones.
“The incident muted all the white noise in my life,” he tells The National, with a thoughtful tone that only comes with a near-death experience. “I think a lot of people have white noise in their life: things in the background that prevent you from doing the things you want to do. Things are kind of in the way… and a lot of things cleared up out of my way, because everyone’s on the same page.”
Renner calls it a “wonderful silver lining” and his positivity is inspiring. When we meet, he’s just come from his ‘in conversation’ event at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah. Dressed in a chic-looking pinstripe suit, he lowers himself gingerly into his seat, but otherwise you’d never know he’d been through multiple surgeries and intense rehab. Renner admits he’s struck by the audience's love for him in Saudi Arabia. “Makes it cathartic for me to share my story,” he says. “It seems to be a collectively shared experience at this point. There’s something kind of awesome about that.”
He is surprised by how well known he is in the Middle East. “It’s hard for anybody to quantify that, to understand it,” he says. “You don’t know. If you do a movie, it doesn’t mean we’re in the theatre watching with the audiences. It’s a very delayed response. I don’t know if people knew who I was over here. I had no clue. It’s beautiful to have people admire your work. So when it does happen, around the world, on my travels, it’s a lovely thing. So I’m pretty blessed.”
It does fit the Hollywood narrative that an actor who rose to global fame in Marvel movie The Avengers, playing the dead-eyed, arrow-firing Hawkeye, is something of a superhero in his own right. As he told chat-show host Jimmy Fallon, after his surgeries, “half my face is metal” and “all the right side of my back is metal”, but this isn’t a comic-book fantasy. Renner’s rehabilitation has been long and difficult. Everything from peptide injections to cold plunges have been explored. “Right now, my body requires a lot of time,” he says.
Gradually, the actor, 53, is going back to work. This year, he played a part in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, the third movie in Rian Johnson’s whodunnit saga starring Daniel Craig as the slick detective Benoit Blanc. “Yeah, that was awesome,” says Renner. “It’ll probably come out next fall, I think. I had so much fun with Johnson. A great cast.”
Joining the likes of Josh O’Connor, Josh Brolin and Glenn Close was a significant job for Renner. “I realised doing that movie that the last two jobs I’d done had been repeating characters between Hawkeye and [Paramount+ series] Mayor of Kingstown. So since 2017 I hadn’t played any other new character. It’s a long time to just be two characters. It’s a very big departure from any character I played before in this Knives Up movie. So it was great. It was great also that I didn’t have to carry the film. It was just a big ensemble. So that was a nice departure as well.”
As his recovery steps up, so does the workload. In January, Renner will start the fourth season of Mayor of Kingstown, the crime thriller in which he plays Michigan’s Mike McLusky. The character heads a powerful family and brokers an uneasy peace between gangs and law-enforcers. “I like the narrative, like the world, and we’re in the fourth season coming up now, in January,” he says. “We’ll probably end up doing... maybe we’ll do five. I don’t know. We’ll see how much energy I have, but we’re doing the whole fourth season and I’m excited about that.”
The show reunites him with its co-creator Taylor Sheridan, who previously directed Renner in the 2017 modern-day-western Wind River. “There are other ideas I’m working on with Taylor in that kind of world, maybe another type of show,” Renner hints, before putting some wish-fulfilment out into the ether. “Maybe I get something that works at home, and then I can actually work where I live for the first time in my career! That would be nice. We’ll see that if that does happen or doesn’t.”
His physical issues aside, Renner says he is “creatively limited” in what he can do, as he is focused on looking after Ava Berlin, his 11-year-old daughter with former wife Sonni Pacheco, the Canadian model. “I’m still a father number one,” he says. “That’s my best role to date. So I will always want to be with her and support my daughter.
It means he’ll never take a job that takes him too far from her. “I haven’t done that for almost 10 years,” he says. “I’ve worked somewhere in the US or where it’s in the summer and she can visit.”
Renner could return to the more character-based work he did in his early years before he became a staple of the Marvel Cinematic Universe – films like Oscar-winning military drama The Hurt Locker or Dahmer, where he played notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.
“I’m certainly open to exploring new things,” he says. “I’ve got lots of time now at this point,” he then bursts out laughing. “Because, apparently, I can’t be killed.”
The five pillars of Islam
The rules of the road keeping cyclists safe
Cyclists must wear a helmet, arm and knee pads
Have a white front-light and a back red-light on their bike
They must place a number plate with reflective light to the back of the bike to alert road-users
Avoid carrying weights that could cause the bike to lose balance
They must cycle on designated lanes and areas and ride safe on pavements to avoid bumping into pedestrians
Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last 16, first leg
Tottenham Hotspur v Borussia Dortmund, midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh12 million
Engine 8.0-litre quad-turbo, W16
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch auto
Power 1479 @ 6,700rpm
Torque 1600Nm @ 2,000rpm 0-100kph: 2.6 seconds 0-200kph: 6.1 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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CHINESE GRAND PRIX STARTING GRID
1st row
Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
2nd row
Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-GP)
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
3rd row
Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing)
4th row
Nico Hulkenberg (Renault)
Sergio Perez (Force India)
5th row
Carlos Sainz Jr (Renault)
Romain Grosjean (Haas)
6th row
Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
Esteban Ocon (Force India)
7th row
Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren)
8th row
Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso)
Sergey Sirotkin (Williams)
9th row
Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso)
Lance Stroll (Williams)
10th row
Charles Leclerc (Sauber)
arcus Ericsson (Sauber)
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Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
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Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
The biog
Favourite pet: cats. She has two: Eva and Bito
Favourite city: Cape Town, South Africa
Hobby: Running. "I like to think I’m artsy but I’m not".
Favourite move: Romantic comedies, specifically Return to me. "I cry every time".
Favourite spot in Abu Dhabi: Saadiyat beach
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How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
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'Midnights'
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
