Jeremy Renner Finally Reveals How He Broke Both Arms During ‘Tag’ Filming: ‘I Couldn’t Rotate My Hands’
Zack Sharf
The truth behind Jeremy Renner‘s “Tag” production injury that left both of his arms broken has finally been revealed. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Renner revealed the injury occurred during a scene in which his character tries to escape being tagged by Jon Hamm, Ed Helms, and Hannibal Buress by climbing up a stack of chairs. The actor said there were 20 to 30 chairs stacked up 20 feet high and his arms broke after he fell because the rigging on the chairs broke.
“I broke along with it and fell on the ground and broke my arms,” Renner said, admitting he felt some pain at the time but not enough to think he broke his arms. The actor ended up performing the stunt again for another take.
“Then I realized, I think something’s wrong, so I went to the hospital, and they said it was broken, so I got them wrapped up and then I went back to work and did everything I could do to continue on as we did,” Renner said. “I couldn’t rotate my hands but I could move my arms up and down kind of like a robot, but I would do anything that didn’t hurt essentially.”
Renner explained the first week of filming following the injury was tough because his broken arms were swollen, but things got a little easier once the swelling went down. The actor wore splints and worked with a physical therapist during the rest of production.
The actor’s injury went viral earlier this month when Jon Hamm revealed Renner’s broken arms needed CGI to cover up his casts. Hamm said Renner wore green screen casts, but the actor clarified the use of CGI to cover his arms was only used in the scene in which his character climbs the stack of chairs.
“I went back to shoot that day, I didn’t take anything out of the cast and they had to put like a clean sleeve over my arm, because I didn’t want to take it off right after I just broke it,” he said. “I needed it to set, I wanted the bone to set, so I think they had to CGI my arm or something in just that one scene, but the rest of it, you know, it all went on okay.”
Renner said he had to deal with the pain and he pushed through it when he had to use a bow and arrow on the set of “Avengers 4,” in which he reprises his role as Hawkeye. For the actor, the worst part about the entire injury was it prevented him from holding his daughter for a short wile.
“When I couldn’t pick up my daughter, that was a very upsetting time, but once I was able to do that, then I was healed in my mind,” Renner said. I’m healed, I’m not at full strength, I haven’t been doing any training or anything, but I think I’ll probably get back and start actually doing something really physical.”
“Tag” opens in theaters nationwide June 15.
