Jeremy Piven takes ‘truthful’ approach to stand-up
Canadian comic Russell Peters encouraged actor to tackle ‘new terrain’
The common mistake when talking to Jeremy Piven for the first time is expecting the foul-mouthed, abrasive guy he played for eight seasons – plus a movie – on HBO’s “Entourage.”
Piven, it turns out, is nothing like the abrasive Hollywood agent Ari Gold, who tormented clients and staff alike and netted Piven three consecutive Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
At least he isn’t during the duration of a 20-minute phone call, discussing his diverse career beyond “Entourage,” his turbulent past year (more on that in a bit), and his current passion — stand-up comedy.
It’s that last one that brings him to Niagara Falls next month, performing five shows over three nights, Sept. 6 to 8 at Yuk Yuk’s. And the first thing he wants to establish is that Ari Gold, funny as he was, will not be taking the stage with him.
“That’s what’s fun about my set, I address that right away,” says Piven, 53. “I’m just doing things that are truthful to me, that are revealing to my life, and to what I think is funny.
“Listen, when you play a character like Ari Gold for eight seasons and a movie — I’ve been in people’s living rooms for a decade — they get familiar with that character. You spend a few minutes with me and witness me on stage, you get to see who I am.
“It’s my job to be truthful and entertaining and do the best performance I possibly can, every night. To me that’s just thrilling.
Though he’s made a career out of funny characters, and did some improv with Second City in Chicago, Piven didn’t really think about doing stand-up until he co-hosted a charity event in Los Angeles last year with Canadian comic Russell Peters.
With Peters’ encouragement, Piven decided to tackle this “new terrain.”
“I worked up as many stories and bits as I could, and that’s the first time I really got that exchange with an audience,” he says. “And felt what it’s like to come up with something on your own and have it work with a group of people.”
His show is a mix of personal stories and recollections from a career that has included “Ellen,” “Seinfeld” and “The Larry Sanders Show” to go with his legendary run on “Entourage.” But tempting as it is, Piven doesn’t
use the stage to lash out against the sexual assault allegations that have lingered over his career the past year. Since October, 2017, seven women have come forward accusing Piven of misconduct, including an extra on “Entourage” who says Piven confronted her in a dark hallway and groped her breasts and genitals.
None of the accusations have led to criminal charges, and Piven has labelled the accusations as “works of fiction.” In November, he says he voluntarily took a polygraph test answering questions about the allegations, which he says he passed. Even so, less than a month after the allegations, CBS opted not to order a full season of Piven’s new drama series “Wisdom of the Crowd.” It aired 13 episodes.
Despite the accusations, he says he was “not nervous at all” about standing alone on stage, in front of a crowd. Ready to be judged.
“I live in my truth, and my truth is I have absolutely nothing to hide,” he says. “People have been showing up and packing the houses.
“What’s great about performing … is that they can take a look at things and judge for themselves. Not be bullied into any one particular ideology.”
When asked about the current Hollywood climate, where even old tweets can derail careers, Piven leans towards the philosophical: He wants to embrace what enhances the “higher vibration” in people.
“I think it would be very easy to go negative, to complain, to be angry. I don’t know if that serves anyone.”
He views stand-up as another facet of a career in which he’s the chronic underdog. Even “Entourage,” for which he was lauded as a breakthrough star, came after 20 years of grinding it out in movies and TV.
As for whether fans have seen the last of Ari Gold after the critically blasted “Entourage” movie in 2015, it is something he tries not to dwell on.
“People always ask me ‘Hey, is there going to be another movie?’ … I don’t really concern myself with expectations and that kind of stuff because you set yourself up to be let down or live in negativity. I don’t think that serves any of us.”