​Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner and Ed Helms Talk Goofing Off in 'Tag' star Renner, who broke parts of both arms while performing one of Tag's many stunts, plays the film's champion, Jerry — untagged since the game's inception. His arms have since healed up and he's making the most of his time with costars, apparently leading Helms, Hamm and fellow co-star Jake Johnson to crash a wedding in a Miami hotel last week. "I make believe for a living," Renner says, "Everything in life is about play." Does he have other favourite pastimes besides interrupting parties? "Any game! Sports, board games, I've always loved it all."
Renner's co-star Hamm was more specific about his playful preferences, enthusing about a St. Louis upbringing that featured Frisbee, soccer and "a lot of kickball."
The oft-repeated mantra of Tag's characters has to do with the importance of goofing off in order to avoid growing old, something that rang true with Hamm. In between sneezes (he's picked up a nasty cold on the publicity tour), he reflects, "I think the meaning behind it is that it's nice to have a connection to the inner childlike goofball." Does he, of the suave Don Draper image, consider himself to be a goofball? "I can be. I love having fun and I love making jokes, making people laugh."
Helms was the first of the cast to read the script for the film and sign on as Hoagie, the lovable friend who keeps the game going in order to keep the group from drifting. Helms speaks warmly of his own long-time group of friends who regularly get together to play music and "drink too much whisky," and offered up an enthusiastic endorsement of what kind of person should see Tag.
"Anyone who's a little tightly wound, have closed themselves off to the world a little bit, maybe isolated themselves from old friends — it's time to see this movie, get inspired to reach out, reconnect, and just be around people that you care about."
Tag opens in theatres June 15.