Not one of the boys
Emmanuelle Chriqui doesn’t exactly have fifth Beatle status in the Entourage milieu of four, but it’s close.
The Montreal-born, Toronto-raised actress of French Moroccan descent was originally hired for a brief stint on the HBO series.
Now she’s a featured attraction playing the popular Sloan in the film, which opens Wednesday.
“When I first did the show it was supposed to be for three episodes and it turned into six years, which is kind of surreal,” says the 37-year-old. “This has been the gift that keeps on giving.”
In the film, co-written and directed by Entourage cocreator Doug Ellin, Sloan shows up pregnant but willing to have a conversation with ex-boyfriend E (Michael Connolly) about a just-friends future.
Mind you, E has a few things on his mind. His buddy Vince (Adrian Grenier) is signed by his former agent now studio mogul Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) to headline and direct a blockbuster, while Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) and Vince’s half-brother Johnny (Drama, portrayed by Kevin Dillon) figure out what’s next.
Besides Sloan, there are other series’ regulars who make an appearance in the movie. Ari’s wife (Perrey Reeves) is around and so is Ari’s former assistant Lloyd (Rex Lee). Publicist Shauna (Debi Mazar) and studio boss Dana Gordon (Constance Zimmer) have some moments, as well.
In keeping with Sloan’s past on the series, the movie depicts her as resilient and independent yet comfortably familiar with E and his fame-obsessed friends.
“As far as Sloan goes, I think (Ellin) wrote his version of the perfect woman,” says Chriqui. “I am not nearly as forgiving as Sloan is and not nearly as patient, but she is strong-willed, and so am I.”
During those early Entourage days, she also banded together almost immediately with Ellin, Grenier, Ferrara, Dillon and, especially, Connolly.
“We had an immediate connection and from there it just became what it was,” the actress says.
It helped, too, that Chriqui was familiar with the exercise of male bonding, which the Entourage cast became noted for on and off camera.
“I have an older brother and I definitely was a tomboy growing up,” she says. “We are in a male-dominated business, so if you are weak of heart or you can’t stand your ground in a situation where it is all men, it can be a challenging business.”