Jeremy Renner has been named Forbes' Best Actor For The Buck in 2017. The 46-year-old star has risen quickly through the Hollywood ranks since breaking out with an Oscar-nominated performance in The Hurt Locker back in 2008. After racking up another Oscar nom for his work in The Town two years later, Renner joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye. Most movie fans know Renner as Hawkeye, the bow-toting Avenger he's already portrayed onscreen four times. His star profile has gotten a boost outside the MCU as well, however, thanks to noteworthy performances in smash hits like American Hustle, Arrival, and the last two Mission: Impossible films. Hell, even Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters made $226 million.
Renner has also impressed outside the blockbuster realm. The Immigrant and Kill the Messenger stand as two of the finest performances of his career. He could even be in the running for another Best Actor nomination for his work in 2017's Wind River. No matter the genre, Renner has quietly established himself as one of the most reliable leading men in the industry. And yet Hawkeye still can't get a damn solo movie or Netflix series -- go figure.
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At least Forbes is well aware of the most underrated star in Tinseltown. In their annual list of the past year's Best Actor For The Buck, which aims to find the actor who brings in the biggest return on investment, Jeremy Renner has found himself in the number one slot. Compiling data from his last three films prior to June 1st, 2017, Renner brought in an average of $93.80 in box office bucks for every dollar he was paid.
It's no coincidence that the three films that Renner starred in prior to this past June were all monster hits. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Captain America: Civil War, and Arrival combined to bring in a mind-boggling $2 billion at the global box office. Streaks don't get much hotter than that. That terrible trio helped Renner best A-list stars like Emma Watson, Amy Adams, and his Infinity War co-stars Scarlett Johansson and Chris Pratt, who rounded out Forbes' top 5.
That said, Renner's numbers fall well short of last year's winner, Chris Evans, who rangled a whopping $135.80 per dollar. Still, a return on investment of over 93% is undoubtedly a figure that studio heads can get behind. Whether this will help the chances of Hawkeye getting a damn solo adventure in some form remains to be seen.
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Source: Forbes