According to actor Jeremy Renner, his demand for more contractually-obligated time to spend with his young daughter led to a stand-off with Marvel which saw him refuse to back down, even in the face of potentially being recast as Hawkeye across the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Renner revealed how his prioritizing of his relationship with his daughter led to a butting of heads with Disney and Marvel during a recent interview with Men’s Health published on November 17th, 2021.
Speaking with staff reporter Alex Bhattacharji, Renner recalled how after his then-girlfriend-now-ex-wife Sonni Pacheco gave birth to their daughter, Ava Berlin Renner, he realized that he needed to spend more than just a few hours in-between work and travel with his newborn daughter.
“[Negotiating with Marvel] taught me how to have the nuts to say, ‘Everyone, f–k off. It’s my time with my daughter’,” Renner told Bhattacharji.
However, his demand for a contract more welcoming to fostering a relationship with his daughter was apparently far from easy, as the actor noted that various individuals close to him warned that his refusal to budge on his demands could lead to Marvel firing him – a potential which did little to even begin to budge his fatherly convictions.
“I said, ‘Fine, recast me. I’m going to be here with my daughter,’” Renner continued. “It was pretty gnarly.”
In the end, as described by Bhattacharji, “his determination paid off. Now Renner insists on being able to visit Ava or have her visit every weekend on every project. If the producers balk, he passes.”
Concluding his thoughts on how important his relationship with Ava is, Renner humorously asserted, “Acting and everything else goes out the window until my daughter says, ‘I want to hang out with my friends, and I don’t want to be around you so much, Daddy.’”
“I never knew that resting face I have could be beautiful,” Renner admitted in response to Bhattacharji’s observance of his ‘bright’ demeanor when discussing his daughter. “It’s not on me. It is on her, on Ava.”
To further drive home just how important Ava is to Renner, fans need look no further than the ‘Rapid Fire’ portion of his interview. Asked by Bhattacharji about the “last time you cried,” Renner quickly fired back, “Yesterday.”
“My daughter brought home her spelling tests,” he added. “Aced. 100 percent.”
What do you think of Renner refusing to back down in demanding more time with his daughter, even when faced with losing the role of Hawkeye? Let us know your thoughts on social media or in the comments down below!