11.5.09

This Week's Break Out!

This week's Break Out is, Jeremy Renner!

Truth is these days, Renner isn't so under the radar, in fact, more likely than not you already know his name. However, my intro to Jeremy was not a pleasant one. Awhile back, on a lazy Saturday I tuned into North Country starring Charlize Theron, an intense drama few remember as it came out so close to her award winning Monster. In it Jeremy starred as Bobby Sharp, a troubled guy with an agenda to rape and humiliate his female co-worker played by Theron. While the film's subject matter and characters were disturbing, Renner made an impact. I was completely repelled by him and yet he felt oddly familiar. That's when it hit who he reminded me of... a little character actor named Fisher Stevens. Stevens never made it crazy big, but he did have a voice and a style all his own. Suddenly years later, in walks Renner with that same voice (almost exactly) and charisma, only cuter (by a lot). Despite my initial deterrence from being introduced to him as a rapist, I followed Renner, eager to see what he came up with next and pulled by his similarity to Stevens. It just so happens that what came next was 28 Weeks Later. While the controversial sequel in no way rivaled the original for popularity, it did develop a following all its own. In 28 Weeks Renner showcased humor, sex appeal, courage and leading man capabilities. In no time at all he went from unknown to sought after, and I was completely on the bandwagon to see more. So next up was The Assassination of Jesse James, followed by giving him a home where you can see him each week called The Unusuals. The guy has now landed the perfect role (as long as the show stays on) as Detective Walsh, a smart, good looking cop with a mysterious past and killer instincts. Paired up with Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants star Amber Tamblyn, 28 Weeks and LOST star Harold Perrineau, and one of my favorite Jews Adam Goldberg, the team seems like they might have a chance at success. Hell, I'm still watching. But even if the show fails, he's got a reportedly "perfect" movie coming out called The Hurt Locker where he gets to play with explosives, and he's proven to the world that he's worth seeing without his shirt on... and beneath that lovely exterior we already know he can play gritty and unlikable. What more do you want?

So readers I urge you to check out ABC's The Unusuals (Wednesday's at 10pm), and find a theater playing The Hurt Locker so you can check out this week's Break Out, Jeremy Renner.





The Hurt Locker Trailer

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love Jeremy Renner! Over the years, I've been lucky enough to have met him in our hometown a couple of times and he is as nice as can be.

do you have a flag? said...

Oh that's great! I am so happy to hear he's a nice guy in person, cause you never know with celebs, they can go either way. But he comes off as pretty down to earth.