Jeremy Renner Reveals the 'Toughest Avenger' & How Paul Rudd Made Him Laugh During Recovery & Jokes Snow Plow Accident was a Publicity Stunt

Jeremy Renner showed off his resiliency and sense of humor while making his first late-night show appearance after his horrible snow plow accident.

The 52-year-old Hawkeye actor started the new year in the hospital after breaking “35 or so” bones and nearly dying when he was run over by a snow plow.

While appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Jeremy joked that it was all a publicity stunt. He also shared some details about the experience, revealing the first thing he thought after waking up from surgery and if he deserved the title of “toughest Avenger.”

He even revealed how co-star Paul Rudd made him laugh while he was in recovery.

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While speaking with host Jimmy Kimmel, Jeremy explained why they weren’t sure exactly how many bones he broke in the accident.

“We kept discovering them as they were going along because they went from critical order of, you know, priority of what am I going to die from or not. And then six weeks later finding another break,” he said.

Despite that, he referred to Scarlett Johansson as being the “toughest Avenger.”

Speaking of his MCU family, the actor revealed that Paul sent him a fake Cameo to lift his spirits.

“So Rudd, who I love so much, he happened to be in town as well promoting his movie. He came by a couple times in the hospital and always just making my day. Because he’s one of the funniest guys around,” he shared. “Then he sent me a video message. Anybody know Cameo, where they pay money and get some movie star to say ‘Hey, happy birthday?’ So he made me a fake one. I didn’t even ask him to.”

Jeremy shared some other details about his process, revealing that he almost immediately started thinking about his nephew, who witness the tragic accident. He also said that he was basically in a janitor’s closet at the first ICU he was at because it offered some privacy as the building was under construction.

What was he thinking after coming out of surgery? “My first conscious thought was ‘Holy hell. My calendar’s freed up for the rest of the year,’” he joked, adding that it was the “easiest way to quit smoking.”

After joining his family in Six Flags over the weekend, Jeremy revealed his policy as he gets back into the swing of things: “If it hurts I won’t do it. I’ll stop.”

This is Jeremy‘s second big interview where he discussed the horrible accident.

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