Piven Talks Sushi, Mamet & More

In a recent LA Times article, Emmy award winning "Entourage" star Jeremy Piven sat down to talk about shushi, Mamet, and more.

Despite playing the ruthless, in your face character Ari Gold, Piven claims that the character is not him.

"Everyone needs an outlet, and playing Ari feeds my adrenaline junkie," he said. "But I'm not Ari. I don't think he would have the patience for an actor like me."

Piven also shared some secrets about the upcoming and final season, talking about what his character will face.

"He's incredibly reckless and will be taKen Down," Piven said. "He's drunk with power. I love it. It's what continues to give this show its edge. We're going to show what happens to a person when they have success and wealth, and it's still not enough."

In 2008, Piven made a controversial exit from the Broadway production of SPEED THE PLOW. The actor left less than 2 months into the production, saying that doctors said he was experiencing mercury poisoning from a Heavy Diet of fish and sushi throughout the years. Despite very positive reviews, Piven left the show- and faced a lot of backlash from those who thought he was lying about his reasons for leaving.

In the article, Piven said, "That talk really did hurt. I grew up in a family that dedicated its life to the theater. There's the truth and reality, and there's the spin and perception. There was this misconception that the Hollywood boy tried to do Broadway not realizing what it was. Doing Mamet on Broadway is the Holy Grail. If anyone thinks I would take something like that for granted, they've got the wrong guy."

Despite the accusations, Piven never publicly defended himself. "I didn't retaliate, decided to take the high road. Now I think I did the wrong thing in doing that," he said.

Piven also suffered from Epstein-Barr virus, which affected his performance, causing intense pain that made it difficult to see.

"My body was literally trying to survive," Piven said. "I was in bed every day until the moment I hit the stage. As soon as I was offstage, I was in bed. I never had a drop of alcohol."

Piven says he has adjusted his diet and is dedicated to his health, "and to getting into the best shape of my life," he said. "I want to deliver work I'm proud of."

For the full article, click here.

Photo Credit: BWW Staff