Post by Jimmy Oddo

I was late to Jeremy Renner’s acting career. I have never watched any of “The Avengers” or “Mission Impossible” films. And while I have often quoted Renner’s epic line — “Whose car are we gonna take?” — from the movie “The Town,” until a few months ago if you would have asked me for the name of the actor who said those words, I would have failed a multiple-choice exam. But having binge-watching his series "Mayor of Kingstown," (think Ray Donovan with more gratuitous violence and a greater need to suspend disbelief), there is a simmering intensity about Renner that caught my eye. In January of 2023, I was still the Chief of Staff for the Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi and we were up to our eyeballs in trying to make NYC run better. So it isn’t surprising that I missed the news of a horrible accident befalling a Hollywood actor — whom I frankly didn't even know existed. But having heard some of the details recently, and having already been drawn into the orbit of this moody actor, I bought his book “My Next Breath: A Memoir.”  The lessons abound.