Jeremy Renner Says It's 'Surprising' He Could Do 'Violent' Stunt Work on “Mayor of Kingstown” After Accident (Exclusive)

In PEOPLE's exclusive look at a Paramount+ featurette, the actor opens up about returning to work on season 3 of the thriller series

Jeremy Renner surprised himself this year.

The actor wasn’t sure how he would feel when he returned to work on Mayor of Kingstown in January, as it marked his first time on set since his near-fatal snow plow accident. And, after breaking more than 30 bones, he definitely wasn't guessing that he'd be able to do all of his own stunts — but that's exactly what happened.

In PEOPLE’s exclusive look at a Paramount+ featurette for the new season, Renner, 53, is praised by his costar and the show's creator, Hugh Dillon, for his impressive recovery, as the actor says, “It feels great to be back.”

"We just went through the strike and everything, [I] went through an accident. It's nice to get the gang back together," he says.

Dillon, who stars as Ian and serves as an executive producer on the series, notes of his costar, "From where Jeremy was, to where we are now, and watching what he does — it's a joy to be part of that. [Seeing] Jeremy Renner do his own stunts? You should watch it for that alone."

Related: Jeremy Renner Says He's 'Accepted' That He'll Be in 'Recovery' for 'the Rest of My Life' (Exclusive)

Renner admits the stunt work "was pretty violent" and that it was "surprising that I was even able to attempt it" given the extent of his injuries from the year before.

"I wasn't sure I was gonna be capable of it, but in the first episode, we were surprised," he recalls. "No injuries."

Speaking to what fans can expect from the third installment of the thriller, Renner says there's "new big players that come to town," with "new Russian power coming into play."

"Everything gets bigger and stronger and it's a little bit more intense. And there's a lot more at stake, I think."

Dillon, 60, agrees. "It's a perfect storm of writing, directing, acting," he praises. "Everything about this show is a cinematic marvel."

Related: Jeremy Renner Recalls Falling Asleep Filming Mayor of Kingstown, Being Treated Like a 'Child Actor' After His Accident

Getting back to work on Mayor of Kingstown certainly still had its challenges for the Hawkeye star, though, as he previously told PEOPLE he was "a little bit scared" to get back into it.

"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 said in January. "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."

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Season 3 of Mayor of Kingstown premieres June 2 on Paramount+.

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