EXCLUSIVE—The foul-mouthed, politically incorrect movie star agent Ari Gold in “Entourage” had all the ingredients to be “canceled,” but he could still have a place in today’s Hollywood, actor Jeremy Piven says.
“Not only could he exist, but it would be fascinating to watch him navigate,” Piven, who portrayed Gold for all eight seasons of the show, told Fox News Digital. “I think that’s a great comedic premise.”
Piven’s Gold became a fan favorite with his brash demeanor and nervous energy as Vince Chase’s superstar agent.
Known to answer work calls at funerals, throw around offensive epithets like it was his job, and have at least one meltdown an episode, all while remaining perhaps the show’s most quotable character, Gold was an actor’s dream role. As some of his wildest tantrums were those when he was in couples therapy with his wife, or when he was berating his gay assistant Lloyd, his demeanor would likely not be tolerated in the era of “MeToo” and cancel culture.
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But while Gold was rough around the edges, Piven pointed out that he was at his core a family man who was devoted to his wife and kids. And, as it turns out, Lloyd, who he defended on more than one occasion.
“Could a guy [survive] who was navigating through tough love and was an equal opportunity offender in his day, but really was loyal to his wife and to his assistant, Lloyd?” Piven said. “And that was shown through his actions. You know, how would that guy navigate and maybe even be misunderstood in today’s climate? I personally just think that would be really a fertile comedic premise. That would be fun to explore.”
Piven was asked to consider another factor that could severely impact Ari Gold’s work today: The rise of social media.
“I mean, I don’t have to look too far,” Piven said. “The character is based on Ari Emanuel. And, you know, Ari was part of a group that purchased the UFC and WWE, and he’s branched out into sports management and there are people out there who have figured out how to navigate all these different lanes with social media, and including the Paul brothers. And so, how would a guy navigate certain people like that? I think it’d be really fun to watch, you know, ’cause Ari would be a bit of a caveman and yet would recognize that these guys are bringing a lot of attention. And that has currency today. So, I mean, it’s kind of endless to kind of pair that, how would a rotary phone operate in a TikTok world?”
The show concluded in 2011, well before the MeToo era, but Gold’s character had a comeuppance in the final seasons as his career and marriage nearly derailed over his boorish behavior. Although the show got mixed reviews in its later years, Piven’s acting was always critically lauded.
Piven won three consecutive Emmys for his portrayal of Gold. Nowadays, he’s enjoying doing stand-up comedy around the country.
“What’s so fun about doing stand-up is, no matter what the room is, no matter the temperature is, it’s our job to navigate it and to kind of be the best version of ourselves in that moment, no matter what you’re facing,” Piven told Fox Digital. “So, I mean, that’s one of the great challenges, I believe.”
Piven also said the audience keeps him on his toes, and he was taken aback by one recent encounter.
“Well, I made this joke in New York recently, and a guy in the front row kind of revealed himself to be antisemitic, and I’m Jewish, and so I kind of confronted him on it, and he very openly said that he — it was a very interesting moment,” he shared. “It’s a very interesting time.”
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Piven fondly credited his late mom with helping him develop his comedic chops. And he trusted her judgment so much that he ran lines with her from his hit TV show.
“I grew up on the stage at the Piven Theater,” he shared. “My mom passed away last year. She was my first acting teacher. You know, when I played Ari Gold, I would run my lines with her, so everything I said as Ari Gold, I said to her face, and that’s my background. And I’m incredibly lucky to perform.”
“And we had a rule in our house: you can say whatever you want as long as it’s funny,” Piven recalled. “And so that was really kind of beautiful and freeing, but you had to find the funny. And I think funny is authentic. Funny is a shared experience. And we get to get up there and so everyone’s different as a comic and to allow people to rant. And if they do it authentically and connect… It’s amazing.”
Piven’s comedy tour is currently touring throughout the U.S., Canada and Australia.
“I’ve just been inspired by the George Carlins of the world and starting with Lenny Bruce, who died for our freedom of speech, literally,” he shared. “And I think authenticity is the highest vibration. And if you’re authentic as a person and as a comic, then people will gravitate towards you and we’re incredibly lucky.
“I think that’s one of the beautiful things about this country is our freedom of speech,” Piven also said. “And so I think people need to laugh now more than ever. So if we can go get up there and rant or try to make sense of all this — without sounding pretentious — I think it’s needed right now. And it’s an honor to do it. I love doing it. Anytime I go back to acting, a comic said to me, ‘You’re going to be a better actor because of all your reps doing stand-ups,’ because I get up almost every night and I thought that doesn’t make any sense. And it did.”
