Jeremy Renner Jokes His Mom Read Him Stephen King in Hospital Like 'Dr. Seuss' After Snowplow Accident

"It just happened to be what I was reading at the time, but I just wanted him to hear my voice," the actor's mother told Diane Sawyer

A mother's love is never far away — just ask Jeremy Renner.

The two-time Oscar nominee sat down with Diane Sawyer for his first television appearance since his New Year's Day snowplow accident, in a special titled Jeremy Renner: The Diane Sawyer Interview — A Story of Terror, Survival and Triumph, which aired Thursday night on ABC.

During the interview, Renner, 52, said his mother Valerie read to him as he lay in the hospital in significant pain following the accident.

"Oh, Jesus," Renner said, laughing as he recounted the memory. "So she's reading Stephen King — some, like, horror thing. But she just wants to read like she's reading Dr. Seuss to me, like, 'How now, brown cow? ' "

"It just happened to be what I was reading at the time, but I just wanted him to hear my voice," Valerie told Sawyer, 77.

Renner also recalled writing a note to his family while in the hospital that helped them realize he was going to be okay.

"I wrote, 'Holy f---,' and they start laughing and they kind of [say], 'Oh, his personality is back, he's there, he's doing all right,' and I'm like, 'What the hell happened? I'm so sorry guys,' " the actor said.

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Related: Jeremy Renner's Nephew Recalls Actor Saving Him in Snowplow Accident: "I Didn't Think He Was Alive"

"That was the first time that I was back," he added. "Beautiful. It was beautiful to have, to wake up to. All those sweet faces."

Renner also told Sawyer that his mental strength through the ordeal stems from his mother. "I think I'm mentally strong. I don't know about other people," he said, when the journalist asked if he believes he is "stronger than most people."

"I know I'm mentally strong, and I get that from my mom," the Avengers actor added.

Elsewhere in the special, during a visit from Sawyer to his home, Renner joked with a laugh, "My mom's proud of me for going to the bathroom on my own."

Renner broke over 30 bones and underwent multiple surgeries after surviving the accident at his property outside Reno, Nevada, on Jan. 1.

RELATED VIDEO: Jeremy Renner Speaks Out for First Time Since Accident, Shares Photo from Hospital Bed

He was initially left in "critical but stable condition" after his snowplow — said to weigh at least 14,330 lbs. — ran him over while he was helping his nephew Alex get a stuck vehicle out of the snow.

Renner revealed in his chat with Sawyer that he was "awake through every moment" of the accident. But, as the actor said, he "chose to survive," adding, "You're not gonna kill me. No way."

"I've lost a lot of flesh and bone in this experience, but I've been refueled and refilled with love and titanium," the Hawkeye star told Sawyer.

Asked whether he sees "the same face" as before the accident when he looks in the mirror now, Renner smiled and said, "Nah, I see a lucky man."

Renner is set to make his first public appearance since the accident on Tuesday, when he attends the Los Angeles premiere of his Disney+ reality series Rennervations for a screening and live Q&A portion.

Jeremy Renner: The Diane Sawyer Interview — A Story of Terror, Survival and Triumph will be available to stream on Hulu Friday.

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