Renner: My career hasn't peaked yet

Jeremy Renner insists his career is at "a great plateau" rather than its peak.

The actor appears as Clint Barton/ Hawkeye in The Avengers franchise and starred in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol as well as the upcoming fifth instalment. With other credits including The Hurt Locker, Jeremy is riding a career high at the moment. But he insists the best is still to come.

"Oh, I hope not," he told the American edition of OK! magazine when asked if he was at the pinnacle of his success. "Maybe it's a great plateau and the view is amazing from here, but there's still a lot more to climb, to learn, to grow as a man and an artist. When that stops, that's when I'd be happy to be gone and six feet under."

In his latest flick Kill the Messenger Jeremy plays Gary Webb, a real-life journalist who became the target of a vicious smear campaign after he exposed the CIA's role in arming rebels and importing cocaine.

It's a role Jeremy could relate to, because he's experienced a lot of negativity over the years.

"I've been told 'no' my entire life. I come from a town where you get married and have babies and are probably on your third divorce at my age. But I knew [acting] was what I wanted to do; I was very focused," he explained.

Earlier this week the star caused shock when he confirmed he had secretly married Sonni Pacheco, the mother of his 17-month-old daughter Ava. The 43-year-old star is determined to keep his family out of the spotlight, but will admit fatherhood has deeply impacted him.

"It's changed absolutely nothing but everything. All else pales in comparison. What I used to think was important means nothing to me except, 'When do I get to see my daughter again'" he said.