Adrian Grenier, estrela of hit drama Entourage, on feminism, Hollywood values, and why he's backing Barack Obama
Thursday March 20, 2008
The Guardian
How would you describe your character, Vincent Chase?
Besides being a really huge movie star, he's also a humble down-to-earth guy who blends into the crowd.
It seems to be a Hollywood show that is anti-Hollywood.
Fundamentally, it has good values. It may be about a very superficial world, with deplorable values but, ultimately, it's about friendship and loyalty and being humble. And you get to live vicariously through these guys who are on the ride of their lives.
I heard you didn't want to play Vince, that you thought the script sucked.
I thought that the character didn't exist, which is not untrue. When they were composição literária the script, they were creating a character who was lurking in the background, facilitating the entourage, but you never actually saw him. And after meeting with Doug Ellin [creator of the show], I was able to convince him I could create a character that you could actually believe was a movie star.
Do you worry about being typecast?
I did think about it, but to be typecast as an actor is OK, because I am one.
Do you think the other guys get all the best lines?
My character and Kevin Connolly's character [Eric Murphy] play very valuable roles in grounding the show and supporting the broader, mais gregarious characters. You always need the straight man.
Does Vince embarrass you?
How so? You mean when I'm naked and they put a bunch of sweat on me and I'm in cama with a girl and we're doing reverse cowgirl? Yeah, that can be quite embarrassing. You know, it's part of the job, to be there in the most unromantic scenarios and somehow have to perform like it's exciting; it's a task, for sure, and that's where the atuação comes in.
What do you think of the portrayal of women in the show?
I'm a feminist, so if there was anything that was untrue I would be on it. But you should see some of the girls out in LA. Entourage is remarkably honest. I don't think it pulls its punches, let's say. There are a wide range of different types of women characters. It's not just the superficial bimbo, although we do have a coupleof them: that's part of what the LA experience is. But then you have strong characters like Carla Gugino, who plays Amanda - she's smart, and strong, and a great actress - those are the women that stand out to me, the rest are superficial backdrop.
Are those women disposable?
I probably wouldn't hang out with those girls as much. I hang out with the ones who are smart and interesting.
Who are you supporting for president?
I like [Barack] Obama.
Why?
He speaks to me; he says things that I agree with, it's as simple as that. Look, I voted for [Ralph]Nader, and I'm ashamed of it. In 2004, because I was so afraid of Bush, I ended up betraying [John] Kerry, because I thought [Nader] could win. This time, I genuinely like the Democratic candidates. With someone like Obama, we could save a lot of face with the rest of the world and maybe start to make amends.
What was your upbringing like?
I grew up in New York, Manhattan. I was an only child, my mother was a single mom. I had lots of love. The most important parenting trait is to have a lot of love.
You did a documentary in which you tracked down your father. For someone who seems quite private, that's a very public thing to do.
I'm not so private. One thing you have to do when you are an actor, or performer, or artist, is to allow yourself to be exposed, to be vulnerable, so that's what I do in my film. It's important not to take yourself too seriously. The new series of Entourage starts on ITV2 on Thursday March 27.
link
Thursday March 20, 2008
The Guardian
How would you describe your character, Vincent Chase?
Besides being a really huge movie star, he's also a humble down-to-earth guy who blends into the crowd.
It seems to be a Hollywood show that is anti-Hollywood.
Fundamentally, it has good values. It may be about a very superficial world, with deplorable values but, ultimately, it's about friendship and loyalty and being humble. And you get to live vicariously through these guys who are on the ride of their lives.
I heard you didn't want to play Vince, that you thought the script sucked.
I thought that the character didn't exist, which is not untrue. When they were composição literária the script, they were creating a character who was lurking in the background, facilitating the entourage, but you never actually saw him. And after meeting with Doug Ellin [creator of the show], I was able to convince him I could create a character that you could actually believe was a movie star.
Do you worry about being typecast?
I did think about it, but to be typecast as an actor is OK, because I am one.
Do you think the other guys get all the best lines?
My character and Kevin Connolly's character [Eric Murphy] play very valuable roles in grounding the show and supporting the broader, mais gregarious characters. You always need the straight man.
Does Vince embarrass you?
How so? You mean when I'm naked and they put a bunch of sweat on me and I'm in cama with a girl and we're doing reverse cowgirl? Yeah, that can be quite embarrassing. You know, it's part of the job, to be there in the most unromantic scenarios and somehow have to perform like it's exciting; it's a task, for sure, and that's where the atuação comes in.
What do you think of the portrayal of women in the show?
I'm a feminist, so if there was anything that was untrue I would be on it. But you should see some of the girls out in LA. Entourage is remarkably honest. I don't think it pulls its punches, let's say. There are a wide range of different types of women characters. It's not just the superficial bimbo, although we do have a coupleof them: that's part of what the LA experience is. But then you have strong characters like Carla Gugino, who plays Amanda - she's smart, and strong, and a great actress - those are the women that stand out to me, the rest are superficial backdrop.
Are those women disposable?
I probably wouldn't hang out with those girls as much. I hang out with the ones who are smart and interesting.
Who are you supporting for president?
I like [Barack] Obama.
Why?
He speaks to me; he says things that I agree with, it's as simple as that. Look, I voted for [Ralph]Nader, and I'm ashamed of it. In 2004, because I was so afraid of Bush, I ended up betraying [John] Kerry, because I thought [Nader] could win. This time, I genuinely like the Democratic candidates. With someone like Obama, we could save a lot of face with the rest of the world and maybe start to make amends.
What was your upbringing like?
I grew up in New York, Manhattan. I was an only child, my mother was a single mom. I had lots of love. The most important parenting trait is to have a lot of love.
You did a documentary in which you tracked down your father. For someone who seems quite private, that's a very public thing to do.
I'm not so private. One thing you have to do when you are an actor, or performer, or artist, is to allow yourself to be exposed, to be vulnerable, so that's what I do in my film. It's important not to take yourself too seriously. The new series of Entourage starts on ITV2 on Thursday March 27.
link