Rory Millikin on ‘Rennervations’: Jeremy Renner and Anil Kapoor do a lot of work for the community, but not many people know about it (Exclusive)
Rennervations
Jeremy Renner’s real-life heroic death while attempting to rescue snowbound travellers is proof that he lives up to his heroic on-screen persona. His goodness extends far beyond that. Renner has opted for a four-part series called “Rennervations,” which combines the actor’s enthusiasm for repairing vehicles with his desire of giving back to the community, at a time when celebrities are opting for reality shows that give us a peek into their magnificent life.
Premiering on Disney+ Hotstar, ‘Rennervations’ follows Renner and his best friend and business partner, Rory Millikin, as they travel to India, Mexico, Chicago, and Nevada to assist local communities in meeting basic necessities. The truck could be a water filtration system or a mobile recording studio.
Rory was interviewed by ETimes before the premiere of the series to talk about the show, his trip to India with Jeremy, his friendship with Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor, and much more. Excerpts:
Since his accident, how is Jeremy Renner doing? His Indian followers sent their prayers for him, and even Anil Kapoor joined in. How psyched are you for the premiere of the show?
Jeremy seems to be doing fine. The guy, his posts, you’ve seen them. Currently, he is attempting to learn how to walk while on the treadmill. He’s incredibly dedicated to his recovery, so he’s in rehab doing everything he can to get back on his feet.
Jeremy has mentioned that one of the reasons he wants to improve and stay going is because of this show; I agree that this is a significant strength of the programme. He finds inspiration from it just as much as the audience does.
Whose idea was it, and what prompted this show’s production?
Jeremy was using online auctions to acquire these massive automobiles. From whence-ever he was sending it is a mystery. I was like, “Wow! That’s awesome, because not only do I not personally know someone who owns a fire truck, but also not somebody who is an Avenger. There would soon be hundreds of these items up for auction as his habit continued. It’s incredible how many he purchased.
Jeremy planned to transform them into commercial products geared towards neighbourhoods and children. A DJ booth and a slide would be installed in the fire vehicle. There would be an ice cream maker there, perfect for kiddie get-togethers. The fires might be doused with the spray as well. To safeguard the surrounding communities in the event of forest fires in Tahoe, we could employ this. He is passionate about preventing further damage to the neighbourhood and putting out flames. So, in a nutshell, they were pretty cool concepts for businesses.
We continued our conversation, and I finally told her, “Look, this is an issue you’ve got. Buying this material has got to cease immediately.
The idea of starting a TV show was tossed around in jest. Then he said, “You know what, I think there’s something way bigger here,” and I saw I was taking a Shark Tank approach.
While most celebrities flaunt their wealth and fame, you guys made a show about real issues facing society. How did you decide where to go and what causes to support?
Jeremy conducts a lot of unheralded, behind-the-scenes work for nonprofits and the local community. He hasn’t made any public statements about it. He has famous friends and acquaintances all around the world, so he asked them, “Hey, what do you know about NGOs in your country and in your state?” Is there anyone else we ought to contact?
The neighbourhood has benefited greatly from the efforts of Anthony Mackie and Anil Kapoor. You don’t know much about Sebastian Yatra and Vanessa Hudgens, but that’s because they don’t talk much about their involvement in aiding kids and organisations. Now that he’s established this international network, his friends are inviting him to visit Peru, Argentina, and England so that he can spread the word about the amazing job being done by these organisations.
Jeremy knows these folks personally because of the bonds they share.
Since their time on Mission: Impossible, have Jeremy and Anil kept in touch?
Holy crap! It’s amusing since he never told me who he was talking to on the phone. I had never heard of Anil Kapoor prior to our trip to India. When I saw him on the television, I immediately thought, “That’s the guy from Slumdog Millionaire.” My children and I have seen that film several times, but when I first encountered him at Fort Parsoli, he was accompanied by a large group of people and it was nighttime. I was wandering the neighbourhood, looking for a late-night bite to eat, and he approached me out of the blue.
My first question to him was probably, “What part of the show are you here for?” because I had no idea it was Anil Kapor.
He addressed me directly and kindly explained his presence. Then I realised, “You’re the Slumdog Millionaire guy!” …to which he replies, “Yeah, yeah, that’s me, I’m Anil Kapoor.”
