Jeremy Renner started his acting career with small roles in TV shows. The actor has shared that he had to work as a makeup artist to make ends meet before he landed the first major role of his career in the 2002 film Dahmer. Directed by David Jacobson, the movie was based on the real-life serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, who killed seventeen individuals, all males, between 1978 and 1991.
The movie was received very well by critics, and the cast was praised for their performances. However, as he recalled working on the movie, the director of the film shared that embodying the character took a serious toll on the actor.
Portraying a Serial Killer Took a Toll on Jeremy Renner
Jeffrey Dahmer has been one of the most notorious serial killers in America’s history who took the lives of seventeen individuals. Over the years, his gruesome acts have inspired several movies and TV series, with a different perspective.
However, playing the serial killer is known to have badly impacted the actors who embodied him in such adaptations. Evan Peters, who starred in the Netflix series Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, shared that he lost his “appetite” while filming and decided to take a break from darker roles.
And after starring in David Jacobson’s 2002 film Dahmer, Jeremy Renner also had a similar experience. The film’s director shared in a conversation with The Guardian, “He accused me of ruining his s*x life!” The actor also shared that he started feeling anxious in public places.
“It really screwed me up. I couldn’t go to a bar alone without experiencing anxiety,” the actor said, as per The Guardian. While working on the movie impacted him, the 2002 film turned out to be a crucial point in his career, as it convinced filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow to cast him in The Hurt Locker.
The 2002 Film Has a Lot of Value to Jeremy Renner
While embodying the character based on a real-life serial killer had some impact on him, it still holds a crucial place in Jeremy Renner’s development as an actor. During an interview with Vanity Fair, the 52-year-old actor said, “That movie has a lot of value to me in my life.”
The Town actor recalled being very poor at the time, as he shared that he did several commercials to pay the bills. He went in to read for the role in David Jacobson’s movie after he learned about it from his manager. Renner has shared that he was not aware of who Jeffrey Dahmer was and had no time to prepare for his role either.
“[I] got cast that day, and then three days later we started shooting,” he said before adding, “And then fourteen days after that moment we were done shooting.” He shared that it happened very quickly and resulted in more creative opportunities for him in the industry.
“Kathryn Bigelow saw Dahmer, and this is the guy to play Will James for The Hurt Locker,” he said. Renner portrayed the lead role in the 2008 war thriller film and got his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor at the 82nd Academy Awards.
Dahmer is available on AppleTV+.
The Hurt Locker is available on Max.
Source: The Guardian
