Jeremy Renner Reveals Why He Shared Rare Post of 12-Year-Old Daughter Ava (Exclusive)

Jeremy Renner is bringing his daughter into the spotlight. 

Speaking exclusively with PEOPLE at A Sense Of Home 10th Anniversary Gala on Saturday, Oct. 4, at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, Calif., the actor, 54, revealed how his 12-year-old daughter, Ava, got involved in the audiobook of his memoir, My Next Breath.

The audiobook, in which he gets candid about his 2023 near-fatal snowplow accident, features a note written and read by Ava.

Renner, who tends to keep his child out of the public eye, explained why he recently shared a post on his Instagram Stories of his daughter recording the audio for the project.

“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,” the actor says. 

Renner continues, “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.”

Renner attended the event — which benefits the Los Angeles–based nonprofit A Sense of Home and their mission to prevent homelessness — with his sister Kym Renner. The two were honored during the gala for their philanthropic work through the RennerVation Foundation.

Renner also said that when he makes posts about his daughter on social media, he always covers her face with an emoji for a specific reason. 

“I got to protect my girl,” the father of one says, adding that he’s “just very proud of her and how far she’s come.”

Renner welcomed Ava with his ex Sonni Pacheco in March 2013. 

The Avengers alum opened up on a July episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live about his daughter’s essay featured in his book, saying it marked a major milestone in his recovery. 

For a school assignment, the tween was tasked with writing about a moment she was most proud of. She decided to choose the day her father picked her up from school following his accident. 

“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 shared with guest host Jelly Roll. “It took me about an hour and a half to get into the car. I’m literally bumbling down the steps and everything,”

“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 added. “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.”

The loving father shared a birthday tribute to the young girl in March, posting a black-and-white throwback photo of her as a baby on Instagram.

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“At 12:12 you turned 12, Twelve years ago My life forever changed – filled with a powerful godly love, a purposed life, full of a joy indescribable with words … I honor my daughter Ava for her excellence, her kindness, strength and fortitude,” Renner wrote in the caption.

He added, “Though you have blossomed into a beautiful 12 year old today, you’ll always be my little bug. Thank you for waiting for me and pulling me through my darkest times. You’ll always be my everything , my only thing, my number one ! #bestpartofme.”