Jeremy Renner Says Work on New Season of “Mayor of Kingstown” Is 'Arduous' but Exciting (Exclusive)

The actor, who stars in a new Super Bowl ad for Silk, is back on set for the first time since his devastating snow plow accident in January 2023

Jeremy Renner is back at work on Mayor of Kingstown and he’s feeling a mix of emotions.

The actor, 53, tells PEOPLE while on the set of his new Super Bowl ad for Silk that he’s “a little bit scared” to be back at work on the Paramount+ show — his first project since his life-threatening snow plow accident in January 2023.

“I don't know if I'm looking forward to it. Again, I try to just do everything kind of step by step here. That's one foot in front of the other one. Then you're walking,” he says of this mindset about returning to set.

“I think I'm excited when I'm there and I get in a rhythm there. I'm excited about the character and, of course, all the people involved and all that in the storyline, but for me, I'm just tentative of confidence in work," he adds.

Renner says the show “is arduous” as it requires between 14 and 18-hour work days “in the freezing cold outside in Pittsburgh.”

His health adds even more stress to the situation, as he’s “scared of slipping and falling” since he doesn’t have all his “lower body strength” back at its previous level. He is “excited,” though, to be back.

Related: Jeremy Renner Says It Was ‘Important’ to Drive His Snowplow Again: ‘I Go Right Into the Eye of the Storm’

On Jan. 10, Renner stepped back on set for the first time, and admitted he was “nervous” about it in a candid Instagram post.

“Hope this works out that I can ACTUALLY pull this off for our production and more importantly the fans @mayorofkingstown @paramountplus,” he wrote in the caption.

At the same time, Paramount+ officially announced production had begun on the forthcoming third season of the series, which "follows the McLusky family, power brokers in Kingstown, Michigan, where the business of incarceration is the only thriving industry," per a release.

Related: Jeremy Renner Shares Impressive Progress on 10 Month Anniversary of Snowplow Accident

Just weeks before returning to the set of Mayor of Kingstown, Renner celebrated the one-year anniversary of his accident and the tremendous progress he’s made.

“My friend reminded me I got home from ICU a year ago,” he wrote on his Instagram Story over a photo of himself in the gym, looking remarkably well, considering the 30 bones he broke and the multiple surgeries he underwent. “Lucky man…”

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In the year since the accident, the Avengers star has been focusing his energy on gratitude for both his recovery and the immense support he’s received in the aftermath.

“I'm overflowing with gratitude and excitement unlike [anything] I've felt in a very, very long time, you know?" he told PEOPLE in April at the premiere of his Disney+ series Rennervations, which marked his first public appearance following the accident. "Because it's not a movie that I'm promoting. It's not a show ... it's my life, man, this is what I do."

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