Entourage actor Jeremy Piven in Adelaide to shoot new film
The man best known as Ari Gold talks about his new Adelaide movie, his blossoming stand-up career and rumours of an Entourage reboot.
Entertainment
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There’s more to Jeremy Piven than acting – and his most famous role, as Entourage’s acerbic Hollywood agent Ari Gold.
The American funnyman is in Adelaide filming a new movie, and will perform stand-up comedy shows in Melbourne on April 2 and Sydney on April 4.
“I used to get frustrated that people would assume that you’re Ari Gold. As an actor you pride yourself on your range and I’ve done 80 movies,” Piven said, 58.
“Selfishly I want them to come to my show so they can see who I am. I’m a stage actor from Chicago, I grew up on the stage – I’m not Ari Gold.”
Best known for his role in the hit HBO series, and in TV show Mr Selfridge, Piven said he’s enjoyed his time in Adelaide, where he’s been shooting his new thriller, Numbered Lives, at night.
“It’s my first time in Australia and you obviously see the Sydney Opera House and these images which are iconic and then you come here and it’s this new beautiful city,” Piven said, who plays a “despicable” attorney for a big company.
“This whole skyline is stunning, I finish work early in the morning and I go for a walk along the river … it’s beautiful here, I really like it.”
Piven said he’s also formed a close bond with the locals.
“The Australian people have really good taste. When they tell me what movies they like, they take it seriously and the fact they have a connection with me means the world,” he said.
Piven said he combines impersonations with observational humour and behind-the-scenes stories in his stand-up gigs.
“I also give people what they want, they’ll get to see Ari Gold but in the context of who I am and where I grew up,” he said.
“I’ve always been on stage making people laugh, there’s nothing new in this. But I have to hit the right notes and make you laugh.”
Rumours have abounded for years about an Entourage reboot, which would reunite Piven with his co-stars of eight seasons: Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connolly, Kevin Dillon and Jerry Ferrara.
“I have no idea but I know something HBO doesn’t know... I tour around and sell out pretty much everywhere I go, and people are screaming out, ‘Let’s hug it out bi*ch’. They miss the show,” Piven said.
“There’s a whole new generation of younger kids who were home during the pandemic who are now fans of the show. I really think that they (HBO) don’t understand that if there’s a reboot, there’s a massive audience for it.”
After his stand-up gigs, Piven will head to the Gold Coast to shoot prehistoric sci-fi movie, Primitive War, alongside Ryan Kwanten.
Most recently, Piven starred in The Performance, where he plays a Jewish tap dancer in the 1930s who hides his identity to dance for Adolf Hitler. The film was directed by his sister, Shira Piven.
“It’s the best work of my life and everyone who’s seen it agrees it’s the best stuff that I’ve done and there’s no hint of Ari Gold,” he said.
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