Jeremy Renner Pictures and Interview From Sydney Premiere of The Bourne Legacy

Tony Gilroy, the writer and director of The Bourne Legacy (out Aug. 16), described his new leading man Jeremy Renner to us as “really badass and really tough,” and those traits were on display at last night’s Sydney premiere when Jeremy arrived on a motorbike! The actor joined some other riders during a pre-premiere stunt show in front of the State Theatre before meeting fans who had lined the streets to get a glimpse of him. He described his entrance as “cool. That was quite fun, wasn’t it? I had a good time.” The private actor, who takes over the Bourne franchise from Matt Damon and recently starred in The Avengers and Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol, doesn’t know what to make of his new status as a leading man and said, “I’m not quite sure what that means, to be honest with you. I’m fortunate to have a job. I like to work. That’s all I know about that.”

Jeremy also couldn’t pinpoint just one rewarding thing about doing the movie: “Look at the cast, look at the director we have, it’s great writing. It’s the most fun I had on two feet in a very long time. What’s not to love every day? It’s a great challenge and there’s something very gratifying about overcoming those challenges.” And despite his tough guy exterior, director Tony revealed that he was surprised about Jeremy’s “sweetness” when they were working together: “There’s a sweetness also that we needed to the character, there’s a nimbleness and flexibility about him . . . I was very surprised to see how much of that was there.” As for what Jeremy wants to do when he finally gets a break? “Sleep in my bed.”