It’s no secret that I find Jeremy Renner to be repulsive in so many ways.  I’ve expounded previously on his lack of talent, his bland monotone “acting style” & blatant opportunism.  Now I’m presented with someone who is opening up his mouth & blithering on about his modus operandi while making the soon to be released The Bourne Legacy.

At a press conference he said:

I could not get injured. I wanted to do as much as I possibly could because of the responsibility of the authenticity of the three films prior. It would do a great injustice to this film if I could not perform what was required. I like those challenges. I like those physical challenges. Outside of that, it’s a job from page one to 120 and tremendous cast and directors and writing. It’s exciting to go to work…

… My personal workload, I felt, was minimal compared to the entire process of filmmaking. For me, it was about getting enough sleep and being physically adept enough to be able to perform when I needed to perform. That was it, every day. There was fighting, training, stretching, or whatever I had to do to get through the day. It was like, “Here’s food. Here’s water. Now, go do this.

I don’t know about you, but when I hear someone spewing that, “personal injury is unacceptable”, as they respond to topics or inquiry about potentially detrimental situations to themselves & then proceeding to rationalize why or why not they cooperate, avoid injurious situations & the “preparations they take” during their day; I find it all either a case of double-speaking (fork-tongued like a snake) or expression of concern, without the actual admission or acknowledgement of that fear.  All expressly for the purpose of appearing to be an expert & veteran.  Which Renner is definitely not.

In Renner’s case, he’s obviously exulting in his extraordinary (current & temporary) status of being a celebrity.  But he’s a fraud!  The star of the over-rated success, The Hurt Locker, a movie pretty much about nothing in particular except the over-used concepts of the Iraq War, again is posing as someone with talent – & as people with talent usually end up speaking candidly about their experiences & the way they do things, he’s spouting off, following his own personal script.  Since talented actors are asked questions about what happened during production & how they feel about this & that – Renner is imitating those with talent.  Going through all the motions of being someone of ability, in order to maintain the allusion that he has ability.

I have to tell you, when I see him beside valid, action stars like Cruise or the young, new talent in The Avengers (my review of that Summer blockbuster), I laugh & laugh – & yes, I laugh again at the weak-chinned joke, pretending to be something that he’s not.  I chortled (like a pig) so much during the last Mission Impossible, that I was stuffed up for hours.  My Summer allergies revived, being the price I paid for my disgust at Renner’s ridiculousness.

Real actors, when asked about dangerous stunts, all speak of what has happened or dangers they faced & broken limbs or scratches incurred during filming; but I have yet to hear a single one speak of actively avoiding such injuries, detailing such avoidance & how they studiously perform their tasks.  What a boob!  Even a psychologist will tell you that speaking of fears does not necessarily invalidate the fears & cowardice.  Renner is revealing his actual fears of possible, personal injury to the public!  In the guise of candid discussion.

Whether or not Renner’s fears stem from the fact that he’s an older actor, having spent so many years in obscurity, clawing his way up like a reptile aiming for the bird’s nest at the top of a tree, is another matter entirely.  My armchair psychology is not competent enough to address the intricacies of his appalling phobias.

Renner is a lower-class of individual, who’s unable to even pretend he’s not common – & when a clown takes off his red nose he reveals an interior that’s not too different from that shed exterior.  I am repelled by his ilk, on every level.  Grasping opportunists give any profession a bad name.

I’m wondering if the Bourne franchise will survive this major casting mistake.  Surely, there must have been someone else auditioning for the part!  The other day I declared that I would intentionally avoid this movie.  Now I must see it.  Can any of us resist looking at a train wreck as we sail on by?  No way, Jay.