Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner, who stars with Tom Cruise in the new Mission Impossible flick out next month, has undergone plenty of scrutiny in regards to his personal life since his rise to stardom in The Hurt Locker.

In the latest issue of Details, he talks about his lack of dating and the gay rumors.

Here is an excerpt:

“I never dated, because I couldn’t afford to date. I didn’t even have electricity. You try to put a positive spin on it, like, ‘Hey, this is so sexy—look at all these candles!’ But I loved what I was doing. The sacrifices I made in personal relationships had the biggest effect on my life. Even now, any woman would take a No. 2 seat to my job.”

It’s not surprising that in Renner’s dating vacuum, the worst bottom-feeding websites have suggested there’s something more to his relationship with his pal and sometime housemate Winters. The unwanted attention nauseates him, even as he understands its causes. “I don’t pay attention to that horseshit. Build ’em up to bring ’em down?” he says of celebrity culture. “I’m not going on that train, my son. I’m not going on that train. I’ll walk. I’ll take a bike.” He lets out a laugh that sounds like a lawn mower starting up. “I’d rather just not be popular.”

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