Fears, Filmmaking and the Jeremy Renner Factor

Actor Jeremy Renner who stars in "The Town," “The Bourne Legacy” and “The Avengers” won't be held back by fear -- not his and especially not anyone else’s.

Jeremy Renner at "The Bourne Legacy" Premiere. Photo by Eva Rinaldi"That emotion conquers love, and that makes me sad." [After years analyzing the roots of his own fear] "finding out what I was afraid of, what stops you in life, what gets in the way." - "Fear is just not a part of my life -- so much so that if it's involved in somebody else's life and they're close to me, I won't be around them." - Jeremy Renner (in The Hollywood Reporter)

One of the most important takeaways from Jeremy Renner's quote about fear is not that it merely gets in the way of living life, but rather, how the presence of fear in others can stifle our own path -- if we allow it.

Knowing that fear holds us back, it seems senseless to adopt the attitudes and beliefs of people who try their best to convince us that we cannot achieve certain goals -- when deep down, they are probably insecure about or unsatisfied with their own shortcomings, complacency or disappointments with how life is turning out for them. These people are dream killers who would rather see their fellow man down and out than bear witness to someone, somewhere, actually making it!

So, identifying the solution is pretty simple, right? Just change the people that you are around and in doing so, your circumstances and outlook on goals will likely improve. A big problem arises, however, when the fear isn't coming from an outside source. How do we solve the problem of being our own worse enemy? This question has been ever present in my life recently, as I find that all of the pieces of my short film puzzle aren't fitting together the way I want them to.

I've wondered if I should just hang the whole thing up, if maybe I'm not supposed to make movies - or even direct them. I've wondered whether I'm meant to pursue another unrelated field in the arts or change my direction and start over in an entirely different industry altogether. I'm also aware, however, that many of my doubts regarding filmmaking stem from fears that were created by no one other than me.

Consistency in execution, particularly, making the visual interpretation of my script be just as good, if not better, than the screenplay that I think I took way too long to complete is a fear that grows with every setback, door closed, budgetary limitation and lost day that I experience while trying to get this movie off the ground.

I have no interest in making a movie just to make one or to be able to say I made one. I want to make a movie that elicits the same enthusiasm as the screenplay from which it is based upon. If that cannot be done, then I don't even want to bother making it. That's just it though -- we can't predict the future, so in the case of my film, I'll never know what kind of results or audience response will come from the production unless I keep it moving either beyond or through any fears and stay out of my own way.

Its much more productive to operate from a place of unrelenting ambition or forward thinking than it is to operate from a place of fear. Adopting the latter mindset makes us much more likely to fail and even critically acclaimed, award-winning Actors such as Denzel Washington knows that the quickest way to guarantee failure is by not trying to succeed at whatever it is that you want to accomplish -- whether that be in entertainment, sports, business, parenting, spiritual growth, relationships, dieting and nutrition, traveling, education or any other part of life that tickles your fancy. So, failure is not an option and I can put efforts into staying away from all of the fear inducing, dream-killing people in the world but I still cannot run from myself.

What are your thoughts on fear?

Have you adopted someone else’s (a parent, neighbor, family member, friend, co-worker, etc.) fears? If so, has it helped or hindered your life in some way?

Has fear ever prevented you from participating in a recreational activity, traveling to a particular destination or pursuing something of personal or professional interest?

Jeremy Renner is the October 2012 King Dong. He succeeds Gerard Butler on the throne.

Comments

[HermanTurnip]

Fear of failure. Fear of rejection. Fear of coming up short. These are all valid fears, but don't let them get in your way. At least get that film done! Use it as a learning experience. Take the positives from it and apply them to your next project. Nothing...NOTHING gets handed to anybody without effort. Nothing comes easy. It's the labor that makes the end product special, and something to be proud of. Just think, how many people are out there writing scripts? How many get past that point and hire actors? Get film rolling? Edit a movie? Screen it? There are far too few people out there willing to take the risk, but it's only the risk takers that we hear about. I have every confidence that you'll rise to the occasion!

If I can be of any help, please let me know.

"Do, or do not. There is no try" -Yoda

[Angela Brown]

I have this Inner Critic that makes the word "bitch" seem like a nice description. I have had to accept that I can tend to be my own worst enemy when it comes to accomplishing certain goals. My Inner Critic works fear like a fine silk thread, trying to weave it into my thoughts, cast doubts upon my actions and make me seem foolish for trying to pursue anything beyond the hum drum of the daily paying gig.

I'm working, daily, to remove the seeds of self-doubt. Even gone so far as to self-publish a novel. It was hard to hush the Inner Critic. But I'm glad I did not give in to the fear. I'm glad to put out something that I have a passion for and enjoy.

I hope you continue to do the same with your movies. You seem to have a great passion for it and I hope you don't let that go :-)

[Nicole]

Herman,
There are lessons to be learned, indeed...I just want to move forward, not backward, after having made some short films that I thought would turn out well and actually became surprised to notice that the ones that I spent the least amount of effort on have been some of the most popular and some of the lesser stressful productions. It's interesting....I woke up and flipped to the today's page on my perpetual calendar and there is a quote on the page that reads: "Only by great risks can great results be achieved" - by the Persian King Xerxes. Your comment and his quote complement each other.

And then to close with a quote from one of the most iconic films in history? Yeah... makes it clear that there's no 50 shades of grey that equal the amount of effort required to go all the way without stopping in the middle and being satisfied with being "almost" there.

Angela,

Getting your first novel out there is a huge step forward in realizing your goals. Be proud that you told that "bitch" to shove it and you persevered to see something you are most passionate about come to fruition. I'm sure if I were you ask you, you'd probably say it (ignoring or silencing your inner critic) was all worth it :)

Don't get me started on inner critics though. That's a whole other heap of anguish that I could probably spend all day on. I do, however, like how you described yours as "working fear like a fine silk thread" -- tell it like it is, woman!