Jeremy Renner Breaks Down in Tears in First TV Interview With Diane Sawyer: 'I Chose to Survive'

Jeremy Renner is speaking out publicly for the first time about the accident that almost took his life. A promo for a sit-down interview between Diane Sawyer and the Marvel star was released by ABC News on Wednesday, in which he opens up about the snowcat accident that left him in critical condition on New Year's Day.

On New Year’s Day, Renner was crushed by a snowcat near his home in the Mt. Rose Highway area of Reno, Nevada. According to a redacted Washoe County Sheriff’s Office incident report, obtained by ET, Renner towed his nephew's vehicle after it got stuck in the snow. In the process, the snowcat began to move, and Renner tried to prevent his nephew from being hurt. 

During the interview, Renner, dressed casually in shorts and a T-shirt, is asked if he remembers the pain from the accident. 

"Oh, all of it," the 52-year-old actor says. "I was awake through every moment."

Renner talks about his will to "survive" and how he would "do it again" because he was saving his nephew, Alexander Fries, who also sits down with Sawyer for an emotional interview.

During the interview, Renner breaks down in tears when Sawyer mentions that he told his family, "I'm sorry," in sign language while in the hospital.

Renner's nephew also cries as he talks about the accident. "I just ran up to him,"  Fries says through tears. "I didn't think he was alive." 

In one of the more dramatic moments, Sawyer reads off the extensive list of injuries Renner suffered, which included eight ribs broken in 14 places, a broken right knee and ankle, a broken left leg, tibia and left ankle, as well as a broken right shoulder.

"Face, eye socket, the jaw, the mandible broken, lung collapsed, pierced from the rib bone, your liver. Sounds terrifying," she says.

Renner speaks about his determination to live. "I chose to survive, this is not going to kill me," he says. 

When asked if he has plans on getting back to doing stunts in the action roles he is known for, Renner says he's not counting it out. 

"I've lost a lot of flesh and bone in this experience," he says. "But I've been refueled and refilled with love and titanium."

As for what he sees in the mirror, the Hawkeye actor says, "I see a lucky man."

Jeremy Renner, The Diane Sawyer Interview: A Story of Terror, Survival and Triumph airs Thursday, April 6 at 10 p.m. ET.

Renner has been keeping fans up to date on his recovery, including walking on an assisted treadmill. ET has confirmed that Renner will be conducting in-person appearances to promote his upcoming Disney+ series, Rennervations. He'll start with the show's premiere in Los Angeles on April 11. This will be the first time he has made a live appearance since his accident.

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