Sandy Kenyon talks with 'Entourage' star Jeremy Piven

Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Sandy Kenyon sits down with Jeremy Piven
Sandy Kenyon talks with Entourage star Jeremy Piven

NEW YORK -- It was the role that earned him a Golden Globe and three consecutive Emmy awards, and now, Jeremy Piven is back playing Ari Gold, the agent/studio executive from the hit show "Entourage."



Four years after the HBO show wrapped, Vince and the boys are finally headed to the big screen.



The movie picks up where the show left off, and the guy who created the cable series is back in charge. The characters, who were originally from Queens, are back in Los Angles, but their toys have gotten a bit bigger. And so have their goals.



Ari has gone from seeking work for his famous client to a studio executive hiring Vincent Chase for his next project.



"(Mark) Wahlberg, God bless him, has been very aggressive in getting this together," Piven said. "Yeah."



A cameo by Wahlberg is one of dozens that makes the movie more fun for the audience and for the stars. Piven had a lot of laughs shooting a scene with Liam Neeson.



"I can hear the paparazzi in the bushes, and that's like, 'oh my God, I think we're onto something,'" he said. "And it's so weird in this day and age, that's your test audience."



During the run of the series, fans often confused the actor with his most famous role, coming to believe that Piven was Ari Gold, and that had to be frustrating. But after doing other roles, the chance to do Ari again proved too tempting.



"He was such a beautiful rage-a-holic who lived in these dualities," Piven said. "He was such a pig, looked at every woman, but was monogamous with his wife."



So how did he approach the reprisal?



"You dig in," he said. "You don't judge the character, you inhabit him. You give him everything you've got...and you walk away, and it's just so much fun."



Writer-director Doug Ellin, who also created the show, says the goal of "Entourage" is "wish fulfillment, the ultimate fantasy." That comes through here - at least for the guys.