Jeremy Renner shared a deeply personal milestone with his daughter, Ava at the A Sense of Home 10th Anniversary Gala on October 4 in West Hollywood.
The 54-year-old actor opened up to PEOPLE about how his 12-year-old daughter became part of the audiobook version of his memoir, My Next Breath.
The book reflects on his near-fatal snowplow accident in 2023 and features a heartfelt essay written and narrated by Ava.
Renner admitted that her involvement came naturally.
“She sort of inserted herself into that scenario by writing the essay early on in the thing. So I asked her, at the end of writing the book, if I could put her essay in the beginning of the book,” he explained.
What he didn’t expect, he said, was that she would also record it.
“I totally forgot about the idea that she’s going to have to do the narration of that too. So I was just reminded and so proud of how far we’ve come as a family, how far we’ve come as father and daughter.”
The actor, who is protective of his child’s privacy, also spoke about why he often places an emoji over Ava’s face when posting on social media.
“I got to protect my girl,” Renner said, adding that while he keeps her out of the spotlight, he’s “just very proud of her and how far she’s come.”
Renner attended the gala with his sister, Kym Renner, where the siblings were honoured for their philanthropic efforts through the RennerVation Foundation.
This isn’t the first time Renner has shared how meaningful Ava’s words have been to his recovery.
Back in July, during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, he recalled how her essay marked a turning point after his accident.
For a school assignment, Ava had written about the moment she felt most proud — the day her father picked her up from school for the first time after his long recovery.
“It sounds like nothing, but when it’s post the accident, you know. I wanted to create something really special for her, a milestone in my recovery,” he explained.
“It took me about an hour and a half to get into the car. I’m literally bumbling down the steps and everything.”
Renner said the moment meant as much to him as it did to his daughter.
“It was something I needed to do. I needed to get out of the house. I needed to show her that I was actually really recovering in a really big way,” he shared.
“And her writing that essay is just a reminder that it was just as important to me [as] it was to her [in] showing her that her dad’s getting better. And, it’s because of her that I am better.”
Renner, who shares Ava with ex Sonni Pacheco, welcomed his daughter in March 2013. For him, her presence in both his recovery and now his memoir serves as a reminder of just how far they’ve come together.
