RIALTO CHATTER: Piven Will 'SPEED' to Equity Hearing

The New York Post's Michael Riedel is reporting that Jeremy Piven is expected to appear in person before the grievance committee of Actors' Equity tomorrow to defend his claim that high levels of mercury in his bloodstream, brought on by a passion for sushi, forced him to abandon the Broadway revival of David Mamet's "Speed-the-Plow."

The hearing will be held at Equity headquarters on West 46th Street sources told The Post.

Piven will appear before a committee of five actors and five producers. 

Last month, Piven agreed to a blood test administered by a doctor hired by the producers of "Speed-the-Plow." The results of that test have not been revealed, but the producers are expected to allege that long before he claimed to be ill, Piven was agitating to leave the show.

Piven informed the producers he was sick, then jumped on a plane to Los Angeles and announced he was not returning to the show. "There was no discussion, no negotiation - he was just gone," said a source to the Post.

In a Dec. 18 statement the play's producers gave a statement regarding the Piven exit, "We have been advised by Jeremy Piven's medical representatives that he is seriously ill and is unable to fulfill his contractual obligation to Speed-the-Plow. Consequently, he has left the production ten weeks early."

Piven was scheduled to perform throughout the show's run, which end this past Sunday, Feb. 22nd.

A Piven spokeswoman has previously called the grievance "absurd and outrageous."

A spokeswoman for Actors' Equity told the New York Times that its grievance committee could resolve the complaint that day or hold more meetings. 

To read the entire Post article click here.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.