Jeremy Renner admitted he passed on a major pay day.

The Things

Thanks to the power of modern day film franchises, Jeremy Renner’s face is now absolutely synonymous with the MCU character Clinton Barton, better known as Hawkeye. Yet even before he debuted the character in an uncredited cameo in the movie Thor in 2011, he was already a two-time Academy Award nominee.

The first of those Oscar nominations was for Best Actor, following his performance in the war thriller film The Hurt Locker by Kathryn Bigelow in 2008. A few years later, he was up for “Best Supporting Actor” thanks to his portrayal of James “Jem” Coughlin in Ben Affleck’s crime drama film The Town.

In the movie, Jem is a member of a group of bank robbers in Boston who become involved in a series of heists in the Charlestown neighborhood of the city. He is a close friend of the film’s main character, Doug MacRay (played by Affleck, who also directed the production). Jem is known for his reckless and unpredictable behavior.

Suffice to say, Renner has chosen his career roles very well. Yet even he was not immune to the curse that sees actors say no to eventual blockbuster movies.

Jeremy Renner Said No To A Role In Hellboy

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In the earlier days of his top-level career, Jeremy Renner was reportedly approached to play a role in Guillermo del Toro’s superhero film Hellboy. The Modesto-born star had started acting in the 1990s, making his big screen debut in the 1995 comedy film National Lampoon’s Senior Trip.

However, it was his role as Jeffrey Dahmer in the 2002 eponymous biographical film that really launched Renner’s career and put him on the map as a professional actor. He received critical acclaim for his portrayal of the infamous serial killer, and the role opened the door to more opportunities for him in Hollywood.

After Dahmer, Renner appeared in a number of films and television shows, including S.W.A.T. in 2003, Neo Ned alongside Gabrielle Union in 2005, as well as The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and 28 Weeks Later, both in 2007.

When Renner was offered the opportunity to feature in the del Toro film, the director himself was not quite as esteemed as he is today. His portfolio of movies until that point included Cronos, Mimic and Blade II.

What Role Did Jeremy Renner Turn Down In Hellboy?

The movie Hellboy was based on the Dark Horse Comics character of the same name. It told the story of the titular character, a demon who works for the secret organization Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD), and fights against supernatural threats.

The film follows Hellboy as he comes up against Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin and his Nazi disciples Ilsa von Haupstein and Karl Ruprecht Kroenen. Along with his fellow BPRD agents, including his adoptive father Professor Trevor “Broom” Bruttenholm and the pyrokinetic Liz Sherman, Hellboy must use his powers and cunning to stop Rasputin and save the world.

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It was in fact that leading role of Hellboy that Jeremy Renner apparently said no to.

In the wake of his decision, Beauty and the Beast’s Ron Perlman was brought on board to play the character. Harry Potter star John Hurt played the part of Professor Bruttenholm, with Selma Blair and Karel Roden featuring as Liz Sherman and Grigori Rasputin respectively.

Why Did Jeremy Renner Refuse To Star In Hellboy?

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Oftentimes when actors refuse to star in certain roles, it usually is because they don’t have the greatest opinion of the script handed to them – or even some of the people they would be asked to work with.

Will Smith, for instance, infamously said no to a part in The Matrix because the Wachowskis were quite inexperienced directors at the time, and according to him, made a bad pitch to him for the character Neo. In Jeremy Renner’s case, he appreciated Guillermo del Toro’s talent, but felt that the story of Hellboy was just not made for him.

“I was focused on what I wanted to do, and how,” Renner told Men’s Health Magazine in a November 2021 interview. “I just felt [like] if I wasn’t connected to the material — even though it was a great director and a great job — I don’t know how I’m going to do anything exceptional.”

Hellboy received mixed reviews upon its release, but slowly gained a cult following and even spawned a sequel, and a reboot film in 2019. The del Toro movie grossed $99.8 million at the box office, with the 2008 sequel raking in nearly $170 million. Renner recognized this missed payday, saying: “I said no to more money than I’ll probably ever make.”

Source: thethings.com