Jeremy Renner: 'Hawkeye wasn't the character I signed on to play'

Jeremy Renner has claimed that his role as Hawkeye in The Avengers "wasn't the role he signed on to play".

The Bourne Legacy star claims that his role as the superhero archer was a "big challenge" due to the lack of "backstory or understanding".



Renner told the Los Angeles Times: "At the end of the day, 90% of the movie, I'm not the character I signed on to play. I'm literally in there for two minutes, and then all of a sudden…

"All I could really work on was the physical part of it all, because that didn't change. That was just the biggest challenge to overcome in playing the guy.

He continued: "I was limited, you know what I mean? I was a terminator in a way. So yeah, fun stunts. But is there any sort of emotional content or thought process? No. That doesn't exist in that time [that he's hypnotized]. It happens to be for most of the movie."

However, the actor claimed that he was "okay with that" and conceded that "there are a lot of people in that movie. And a lot of important characters. And my character, I felt like if I can help serve story, then I did my job".

The 41-year-old had previously said he was "unsure" about a potential Hawkeye spinoff, but has since admitted that "anything is possible in the Marvel universe".

Watch the trailer for Renner's upcoming The Bourne Legacy below: