It's that Extra Mile that Counts - Words from an Oscar Nominee

"Sometimes in life you have to give that extra 5 or 10 percent, and that really makes the difference.” - Jeremy Renner

Actor Jeremy Renner at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards. Photo Coutesy of WEBN-TV.Some movie goers may be surprised to learn that Jeremy Renner was an savvy real estate expert before becoming the action star he his today -- the kind of action star who also receives Academy Award nominations and performs his own stunts. If his Esquire Magazine cover story is any indication, however, Renner’s experience flipping houses has not only aided in the progression of his film career but also offers some mighty useful lessons on the importance of taking calculated steps toward specific goals.  

Renner says "Architecture and building is about how you get around the obstacles that are presented to you -- That sometimes determines how successful you'll be: How good are you at going around obstacles?" and he sure does know a thing or two about getting around obstacles. When Jeremy Renner was first starting to get noticed for his acting work, a stalker fascinated with Jeffrey Dahmer stole his cat and then, using a contract for his role in the crime-thriller ‘S.W.A.T,’ he managed to obtain enough capital from a bank to purchase a home -- despite having only $200 to his name at the time.

That one purchase eventually led to him buying, renovating and selling over one dozen houses for millions of dollars -- during the same time when he wasn’t even earning more than mid five figures for his acting work on some of the most critically acclaimed films with million-dollar budgets. Although Renner, who is not in favor of gambling in the stock market, made enough savvy investment choices in the real estate market to turn a profit, he still maintained a modest lifestyle -- even sleeping on plastic-covered mattresses in the very houses he was renovating, and using the bathroom at Starbucks when these properties didn’t have plumbing.

You’d probably never guess that Renner was attending red carpet events as a tuxedo-sporting Academy Award nominee who didn’t have lighting in his own home -- but this is an actor who sees the bigger picture and focuses on that. Jeremy Renner seems like a guy who would rather sleep on the floor in an empty home that he owns than pay to rent rooms at lavish hotels, despite the fact that he could afford it, even with the little bit of money coming from Hollywood.

Affordability appears to have never been a big deal to Renner, more so than having options to help further his next move, whether that be in film or real estate. The money coming in from selling houses gave Renner more flexibility when it came to choosing the kind of acting roles he could play and then parlay his talents into even bigger opportunities from one film to the next. He hasn’t needed to accept a role out of desperation and still managed to go from playing a cannibalistic serial killer in ‘Dahmer’ to doing fight scenes with Tom Cruise in ‘Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol’ and then becoming internationally known as a superhero in ‘The Avengers.’

The advancements that Jeremy Renner has made so far in his career couldn’t be planned any better. Much like the real estate business, however, there was no way for Jeremy Renner to guarantee that he would do well in the film industry. All he could do was put his best foot forward and let the chips fall where they may. “The Avengers” could have bombed at the box office and “The Bourne Legacy” could have been a flop but Renner took a gamble on his most valuable asset -- himself -- and it paid off well, literally (His earnings from “The Bourne Legacy” makes what he was paid on “The Hurt Locker” look like lunch money) and figuratively.

Every time they bought a new house, Renner and his partner-friend would meet at a diner where they used napkins to map out plans for turning it into the kind of property that they want. When the house sells, this duo got more out of if than they put into it where finances are concerned, but, there is no price that one can put on their sweat equity during the renovation process nor the sacrifices they made (going without power and plumbing; sleeping on floors to save money, etc.) early on in the game. Adopting the same practices for almost any area of life are bound to bring us similar results.

If there is a lesson in this for us to learn, it is that of not only realizing the importance of knowing where we want to go, but also to know how we’re going to get there and then do it. Who knows, if we add on a little five to ten percent of extra effort, maybe, just maybe, we might land on or near our target. I guess it’s better to be closer to where you want to be than far away, doing nothing and wondering what could’ve been. So, I’ll try to keep this in mind when I think I’m moving too slow because slow motion may be better than no motion at all.

What is YOUR favorite Jeremy Renner performance to date?

I liked him in "The Bourne Legacy," but "The Town" still wins in my book.

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.

Is a Movie Still Good if you don't Cry?

“I think it’s one of the nicest privileges as an actor is to know that you can move people in one moment, make them think about their lives, or make them laugh or make them cry or make them understand something. Or just make them feel something because I think so many of us, including myself, spend too much time not feeling enough, you know?” - Gerard Butler on inspiring fans with his role in "Phantom of the Opera"

Any film (or actor) that doesn't move audiences in some capacity is probably not worth making. On the flipside, audiences are so fickle at times that it doesn't always take profound storylines and stellar performances by on-screen talent to deem a film -- or acting performance, a success. That may explain how Denzel Washington wins an Oscar for playing a corrupt police officer in a crime drama that didn't break any new ground, yet, didn't even receive a nomination for his work as a historical figure in "Malcolm X."

It is also why Tyler Perry's comedy films (all of which my friend's boyfriend refuses to see because he deems them "black minstrel shows") made him the highest earning man in Hollywood last year -- he even made more than Steven Speilberg, a legendary director in his own right who brought us "JAWS" and "Schindler's List." Speaking of Tyler Perry, the quote from Butler above had me thinking about a little survey that I conducted with about one dozen people who went to see "Madea's Witness Protection" earlier this summer.

I did not watch the movie but went to a local theater that was showing it and I found out that most often than not, audiences aren't looking to feel anything. One of the women I spoke with told me that she enjoyed Perry's film because it gave her an escape and she appreciates movies that can help people take their mind off of things that they are going through in their lives. As I write this post, I'm also getting a quick flashback of the time I went to see "What's Your Number" starring Anna Faris with a friend who specifically requested that we watch that movie "because it's something light," to which I responded, "Light? Like a salad?!!" and my friend said "Yes, exactly! -- like a salad."

So while I do think that Gerard Butler is on to something important when he mentions that we don't really feel enough (and I can agree, especially in our Limitless-esque multitasking age of ever evolving technology and dwindling human connection), there are times when we actually DO feel -- maybe even too much. All of this is to say....

Can there be a healthy balance between meaty, emotionally driven or epic films and those that don't require a lot of thinking to enjoy -- making room for both types of films and the actors, directors, producers, etc. who make them? -AND- Does the quality of a film directly correlate with it's ability to move YOU or not?