So, he wasn’t content to rest on his action hero laurels from roles like fight club-ready field agent turned IMF security analyst William Brandt in Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol and Rogue Nation (there were rumors he’d take the reins of the franchise from Tom Cruise, but regardless was only in two films due to Marvel conflicts), rogue super-agent Aaron Cross in The Bourne Legacy and, of course, Hawkeye.
Renner’s also playing the No. 1 powerbroker in a Michigan city where the local prison drives the whole economy—a guy who wanted out but ended up taking over for his late brother in the family business instead—in the Paramount+ series Mayor of Kingstown, which is back for a second season starting Jan. 15.
“He’s a good guy,” Renner told GQ of his character, Mike McClusky. “He can do bad s–t to you, though.” The actor started laughing, adding, “Yeah, he’ll do whatever it takes to keep the peace. He’s not a bad guy at all. He’s a selfless guy, which is pretty admirable, I think.”