- Share this article on Facebook
- Share this article on Twitter
- Share this article on Flipboard
- Share this article on Email
- Show additional share options
- Share this article on Linkedin
- Share this article on Pinit
- Share this article on Reddit
- Share this article on Tumblr
- Share this article on Whatsapp
- Share this article on Print
- Share this article on Comment
Westwood Village erupted in screams Monday night for the men of Entourage, who rolled back into town for the film’s premiere at the Regency Village Theater.
Producer Mark Wahlberg — whose life was used as the inspiration for the popular series turned film — said watching the cast come together again brought him a sense of closure after years of uncertainty regarding Entourage‘s future but also whetted his appetite for more.
“The movie was the most important thing because everybody felt the series was cut short, and the episodes were always so, so short,” Wahlberg told The Hollywood Reporter. “If people like it, then we’ll do one more, but, if not, this is definitely a tribute to the fans and the people that made it such a success.”
Related Stories
Some of the 50-plus cameo actors also showed up to support the film, including Bob Saget, Mike Tyson, David Spade, T.I. and Kid Cudi, but director Doug Ellin said there was one actor he couldn’t manage to secure.
“I tried to get Russell Crowe,” Ellin told THR. “I don’t know if it was scheduling or not. He didn’t call me back, but I wanted him. I wanted him since the show started.”
Entourage catches up with movie star Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) on the heels of his risky directorial debut, as his boys, Drama (Kevin Dillon), Eric (Kevin Connolly), Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) and agent Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven), rally around him for support. This time around, the men have a little more status and money, but they still find themselves up to their same old L.A. shenanigans throughout the film.
As Ferrara walked down the black carpet Monday, die-hard fans screamed at him from the bleachers. The increasing “fandemonium” is something Ferrara said he never would have imagined.
“We got to make a movie off a pilot we shot in 2003,” said Ferrara. “I was 22 years old, and now I’m 35. I just didn’t know there was this much of a calling for the movie. I was confident when we got the green light to make it that it was there, but seeing this turnout and talking to a lot of people in the last few years … it’s very encouraging that people wanted this to happen. It’s probably the biggest surprise.”
Dillon, however, said he always had faith in the show from the beginning.
“I had a gut feeling about this show from the pilot, and I was telling all the guys it was not going to be a movie but a hit,” said Dillon. “After the Sex and the City movie, that’s when we all went, ‘Hey, maybe we can do one, too.’ ”
Co-CEO of WME Ari Emanuel even attended the affair, perhaps to see how he influenced Piven’s character, Ari Gold (named after the agent). Piven told THR that, although sometimes he feels like a Hollywood cliche, the film does have some real moments.
“There are characters very much like Ari Gold,” expressed Piven. “They are out there. I think what people respond to is the fact that, whether they know it or not, is that we’re trying to depict an authentic version of what goes on out there and that it’s also a male-fantasy show and it’s escapism and all this fun stuff. What this movie is about, more than ever, is loyalty and then ultimately about family and what that means in this life. Who’d have ever thunk there would be a message like that in an Entourage movie?”
Especially a film featuring a wild pool party and scenes that cast actual porn stars.
As Grenier looked back at his early beginnings on the show after arriving on the black carpet for the film’s premiere, he said he feels he might be a little more mature — but then he hesitated and retracted his statement.
“Maybe I’m just as immature,” said Grenier. “I think everything is exactly the same. We all have Peter Pan syndrome. That’s the point of the show. You get to live young forever.”
Following the screening, Grenier, Dillon and the rest of the gang attended the post-screening bash at the “Ciel Lounge” — named after the luxury concept car that Gold gifts to Grenier’s character, Vincent Chase, in the film. The parking lot adjacent to the theater was transformed into a black-light lounge fit for the bros, with neon-painted backdrops of the Hollywood sign, the Pantages Theatre and other popular L.A. hotspots.
Female dancers served as the centerpieces at buffet tables catered by popular L.A. restaurants Son of a Gun, Jon & Vinny’s and Animal. The party started off in full swing when the main neon-painted Hollywood backdrop opened to reveal a surprise live performance by Jane’s Addiction.
Entourage hits theaters on June 3.
Jerry Ferrara, Kevin Dillon and Kevin Connolly (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Invision for Warner Bros./AP Images)
THR Newsletters
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day