‘Entourage’ is to men what ‘Sex and the City’ was to women. Fair call, gents?
Since it premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004, this smart, funny, boys-to-men dramedy has raised the hopes of skinny, white dudes everywhere of one day being street and biz smart with So-Cal cool thrown into the mix. Even the smooth brothas from HipHop land laud the show for being a representation of every young man’s dream lifestyle, complete with a loyal posse to help you enjoy the good times and overcome the bad ones.
Created and is largely written by Doug Ellin, Entourage chronicles the rise of Vincent Chase, a young A-list movie star, and his childhood friends from Queens, New York City, as they navigate the unfamiliar terrain of Hollywood.
The show is especially clever in its underlying theme of male camaraderie and the importance of friendship and family over work and according to Mark Wahlberg, one of Entourage’s co-executive producers, the idea was initially conceived when his assistant asked if he could film Wahlberg and his friends, calling them “hilarious”. Other reports credit Eric Weinstein, a long-time friend of Wahlberg’s, with the idea of filming the actor’s group of friends. In order to be more satirical of the Hollywood lifestyle, a fictional approach was chosen rather than a straight documentary in order to keep the content light, and avoid directly depicting Wahlberg’s violent past.
Although Entourage has enjoyed a great run, the “French” could have been toned down and a tad more intelligence thrown into the boys’ characters and writing. Its last two season have been a familiar and sometimes lacklustre, so seeing the end of the road, on August 7, 2010, HBO announced that Entourage would return in the Summer of 2011 for a shortened 8th and final season. Although the number of episodes was not officially disclosed, the final season will likely contain six episodes. A film is also planned after the series ends.
So who makes up the Entourage posse and more importantly what is their personal and signature style? Here’s our breakdown:
Vince Chase | Adrian Grenier Vince moved to L.A. to become an actor. He starred in a series of commercials and some soaps including a Mentos ad when he was discovered by Super Agent Ari Gold and the rest is history. Vince is very close to his boys including his brother Johnny Chase aka Drama and his best friend since they were 6 years old Eric, who is also his manager and considers them family. He does not let fame change him and shares his wealth and fame with those that are close to him. Age: 31. Occupation: Actor. Personality type: Loyal, free spirit, friendly, charming. Signature style: SoCal cool, comfort clothes, no suits, T’s, sneakers, jeans. Vice(s): Eric, girls, spoiling his boys. Annoying trait(s): Spends money he does not have, never reads his scripts when told. Hobbies: Golf. Dream job(s): He has it. Cars owned: 2007 Mercedes S65, Cadillac Escalade, Rolls Royce Phantom, Hummer H2. Favorite Hollywood haunt(s): The Palms, Urth Cafe, Winston’s, Poolside at Chateau Marmont. Hollywood projects: Head On, Queens Blvd, Aqua Man, Medellin,The Great Gatsby.
Johnny Chase aka Johnny Drama aka Drama | Kevin Dillon Vince’s big bro was the first of the Boys to move to LA from New York where he pottered around with several small parts on TV shows such as NYPD Blue, Melrose Place, Pacific Blue, Nash Bridges, Red Shoe Diaries and several failed pilots including getting kicked off of one with Brooke Shields. He’s best know for his role as Tarvol on Viking Quest a TV series. While Vince was making a name for himself, Drama was flailing but he finally landed an ensemble cast role on fictional TV series ‘The Five Towns’. Drama’s been married once and he’s the proud owner of the Caddy in the opening title sequence. Age: 40-something. Occupation: Actor, official cook for the boys. Personality type: Huge temper, the controlling type. Signature style: 40’s / 50’s disheveled throwback, a modern rockabilly sporting a moustache-goatee combo. Vice(s): Working out, cooking, obsession of self and minor details that don’t matter, his own ego. Virtue(s): Unconditionally loves is “baby bro” Vince. Hobbies: Cooking, golf, working Out. Dream job(s): A-list Actor. Cars owned: 2006 Aston Martin DB9, 1965 Lincoln Continental convertible, 1994 Fiat, Harley Davidson Motorcycle. Favorite Hollywood haunt(s): The Asian Rub and Tug Parlor.
TURTLE | Jerry Ferrara Turtle grew up in queens, didn’t have a lot of money, loves the good side of life, extremely down to earth. The role of Turtle was inspired by Mark Walberg’s friend and personal assistant Donnie “Donkey” Carroll. Like Turtle, Donkey followed Walberg from Massachusetts to Hollywood in his rise to fame. Donkey passed away in 2005 from an asthma attack. Age: 31. Occupation: Vincent Chase’s best friend and driver. He is the go to man, and loves his wheels! Personality type: Maybe not the most dependable, but he always uses his heart. Signature style: Velour! Comfort driven and strictly hip hop – baggy jerseys, sideways caps or backwards. Usually representing New York sports teams. Also a fan of Zoo York clothing line. Most coveted ‘style’ items: His exclusive Fukijama sneakers, his custom “Turtle” chain and NY Giants jersey with “TURTLE” across the back. Vice(s): Cars and large flat screens. Virtue(s): Optimistic, finds the good in bad situations. Endearing trait(s): Always pulls the gang out of trouble. Hobbies: Video games, golf, driving. Dream job(s): Music manager, opening a restaurant. Cars owned: Aston Martin. Hollywood projects: Credit song for Queens Blvd.
Eric Murphy | Kevin Connolly Eric a.k.a. ‘E’ is Vince’s long time best friend. He grew up with Vince in Queens where he dabbled in various gigs including a manager at a pizza restaurant. After joining Vince in LA, Eric became Vince’s voice of reason and later his official manager. Much of Vince’s success can be attributed to Eric – he landed the ‘Queens Boulevard’ film and offered guidance on many of the Vince’s defining career moves. Eric is the smart, responsible, and motivated member of the Entourage who acts as the engineer who keeps the gravy train running. Age: 31. Occupation: Vincent Chase’s manager and owner/founder of ‘The Murphy Group’. Personality type: Shy with women, respectful, responsible, caring. Signature style: Clean cut boy next door, business casual. Eric wears lots of blue and grey. He’s prone to the L.A. Power tie-less suit, button-down shirts with the sleeves rolled up – business like with a laid back twist. As the seasons go on E’s hairs gets more and more shiny and professional. He never gels it in Season One then in the second season he makes it look more professional to match his career aspirations. Vice(s): Bad temper, jealousy, smoking. Virtue(s): Loyal, sensitive, romantic, determined. Endearing trait(s): Sensitive, shy, loyal, falls in love easy. Annoying trait(s): Talks on the phone too much, sometimes acts almost to square … Hobbies: Golf, ESPN, hockey, the Yankees. Dream job(s): Running a major studio in Hollywood. Cars owned: Honda Prelude (3rd Gen) (until Season 2) Maserati Quattroporte (until Season 3) Aston Martin DB9 Volante Favorite Hollywood haunt(s): The Shave of Beverly Hills. Hollywood projects: Producer on Medellin and an Executive Producer of Lost in the Clouds/Silo.
Ari Gold | Jeremy Piven (pictured above with Mrs Ari) Age: 42. Occupation: Hollywood Agent. Personality type: Shark, super ambitious, vicious, smart ass, an A type personality, leader. Signature style: The L.A. Power Suit: Ari wears the Armani like a suit of ritual ego-driven armor. First impression is “this dude means business, step outta his way, ‘specially when you see him totin’ a large, plastic paint blaster”! You can see Ari veritably lean into the imported padded $10,000 shoulders as he charges into a room, hurling insults, wisecracks, platitudes and shameless flattery – whatever he needs to get the job done. And the Armani also serves a defensive role and deflects nearly all ill-infused assaults from all manner of Hollywood scumbags, hangers on, wannabees and true movie biz powerhouses. Ari’s Armani is more than a suit. It’s a state of mind. Other coveted style pieces in Ari’s wardrobe are his aviators and his Bat Phone. Vice(s): Thirst for fame and power, foul mouth. Virtue(s): If he’s on your side, you’re covered. If he’s not … dude … Endearing trait(s): Sharp wit, tells it like it is, talks with his hands. Annoying trait(s): Sharp wit, quick tongue and demeaning ‘tude towards Lloyd and all creatures he believes beneath him (which is everyBODY!) Hobbies: World domination, golf, his wife and kids, running. Dream job(s): Has it. Cars owned: Lexus LS460 Hybrid. Favorite Hollywood haunt(s): Lakers’ games at the Staples Center, Koi, Palms, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Hollywood projects: His clients and one day ruling Tinsel Town!
Entourage is the stuff of “boys” albeit all being over 30 years. It’s a modern study in the awkward, ungainly years before boys become responsible men; fumbling and straggling with their choices, overcoming the false lure of celebrity, money and power and learning all about mateship, social propriety and love while still trying to control those red, hot blushes when women speak to them. And they learn to be men in the company of other young men like themselves, much like the male right of passage age-groups of Africa.
We leave you with this quote from Italian poet, critic and novelist Cesare Pevase – “A man is never completely alone in this world. At the worst, he has the company of a boy, a youth, and by and by a grown man – the one he used to be.”