Jeremy Renner says he’s not bothered by rumors claiming he’s gay. In fact, in the movie star’s eyes, the speculation is a sign of his success. But he says it’s also an indication that stereotypes about the gay community still need to be combatted.
“When you google yourself and the first thing that comes up is ‘Jeremy Renner gay,’ it’s like, ‘Oh, now you’ve arrived. You’re now a giant movie star,'” Renner tells Playboy. “I don’t care, ultimately, if that’s what people want to think, read and care about. F------ say whatever the hell you want about me.”
Renner continues, “Look at where we’re at socially — leaps and bounds ahead of where we started. That’s an amazing thing. To suggest that it’s negative, that being gay is a terrible thing, a perversion or whatever — I just don’t get it. Don’t you wish we were in a world where we’re not shaming, judging and boxing people in?”
The actor acknowledges that he’s also judged just for how he appears in pictures. “My resting face can be very stern, like ‘murderous resting face.’ I still don’t know how people perceive me, and ultimately I don’t care. They seem to think I want to murder them or I want to ---- them,” he says.
On the topic of sex, Renner opens up about losing his virginity. He recalls, “My story was awful, just like everybody else’s. It was just this random, uncomfortable thing, and I was so nervous. I remember my dad’s sex talk was ‘Son, no glove, no love.’ He opened a drawer. ‘Here are the condoms.’” As for his first-time lover, however, Renner notes, “But I have no idea what she thinks. Maybe she goes to the movies and thinks, ‘Okay, Hawkeye was my first.’ Or she could have a voodoo doll of me, for all I know.”
Now years later, Renner is dad to 2-year-old Ava, and recently settled a contentious custody battle with estranged wife Sonni Pacheco. “If anything takes me away and I don’t get to see her, I just won’t do it. I don’t care what you pay me. All my energy goes toward her and her well-being,” he tells Playboy. He further admits, “I see anything that takes me away from my daughter, whether it’s something good like making Mission: Impossible 5 or something bad like my divorce, as a distraction and an obstacle.”
Renner did carve out a few hours earlier this year to attend the Golden Globes, where he infamously made a joke about co-presenter Jennifer Lopez’s own “golden globes.” Asked about any backlash, he insists, “Actually, Jennifer thought it was f------ funny and got a little sweaty and maybe even turned on by the whole experience. We partied at a couple of events afterward and had a good time.”
“Other people started running their mouths about it. Everybody’s entitled to an opinion, but I can’t be bothered. We gave zero f----,” he continues. “I would have made a public apology if it really hurt her feelings. It was the complete opposite, and she’s gone on record as saying she thinks Renner’s hysterical.” And now we know Renner apparently refers to himself in the third person sometimes.