Reflections on the End of the “Entourage”

Adrian Grenier balances on the edge of a diving board at his Los Feliz home. He bounces and flies into the air, then executes a near-perfect swan dive into the pool, as a photographer snaps away. He emerges from the water looking a bit dissatisfied, brushes wet dark curls off his forehead and smiles shyly, “I’m nervous. I’ll do another one.” On the second dive, his legs flop over a little at the end. But the third is perfection.

Afterwards, he sits serenely on a wooden chair by the pool, wrapped in a red towel with gray stripes and wearing only board shorts. When asked if he wants to change or dry off, he says, “No, now I’m relaxed.” It’s already 6 o’clock, but he quickly air dries in the lingering warmth of the summer sun.

Just a few days shy of his 35th birthday, Grenier remains boyishly handsome and has a contemplative, philosophical nature. He seems quite unlike the playboy celebrity, Vincent Chase, he’s become renowned for playing on the HBO series “Entourage,” now in its eighth and final season.

Grenier still remembers when he got a call from his manager to audition for “Entourage.” He was living in Mexico off his last $200 — leftover funds from his starring turn in Drive Me Crazy with Melissa Joan Hart. At the time, the New York-bred actor scoffed at Hollywood and television. He almost refused to audition, but a free flight to Los Angeles and the prospect of another paycheck changed his mind.

Now he admits, “I love the show. Hindsight is 20/20. I’m like, what an idiot I was,” and grins, revealing a little chip on one of his front teeth.

In real life, Grenier’s passions outside of acting include music, eco-activism, and directing. He plays drums for The Honey Brothers, a New York indie band. Last year, he launched a green website, SHFT.com, dedicated to bringing sustainable ideas and products into pop culture, which just won two Webby Awards.

His recent documentary, “Teenage Paparazzo” (2010), a thoughtful meditation on our fame-obsessed culture told through the story of a 14-year-old paparazzo, aired on HBO last fall. As a celebrity playing a movie star on a hit TV show, Grenier is all too familiar with this culture and living under the scrutiny of the tabloid media. His first documentary, “Shot in the Dark” (2002), about fatherhood, followed Grenier’s journey to reunite with his own father. He is about to start working on the final installment of his personal-exploration trilogy, a documentary about love.

“I did coming of age, parenting, growing up. Then I did what it’s like to be a responsible adult,” he says. “Now it’s about, ‘Now that you’re a whole human, how do you share it with someone else?’ It’s beyond me right now. At the end of the film, I hope to answer it.”

With the end of “Entourage,” Grenier will soon be giving up his Los Feliz abode and moving full-time to an eco-friendly home he designed in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn.

Venice: How do you feel about “Entourage” coming to an end?

Adrian Grenier: It’s like biting into your last bit of cake.

Is this your last bit of cake?

There are more in the oven. But this is the last one that was readymade and being

served on a silver platter.

What will you miss most?

I’m an only child, so I feel like I was given a family, really, brothers that I never had. So I’m

gonna miss my brothers.

What can viewers expect this season?

It’s gonna feel nostalgic. It’s gonna be a touching season, very emo.

How did you land the role of Vince?

I was really broke at that time. I’d done Drive Me Crazy (1999) and got a little chunk of change doing that. It didn’t pay a lot, but that lasted two or three years. Then I was really broke. I went to Mexico because I got a tip that they were making a documentary in Cuba about Cuban hip hop, so I was going to try to get into Cuba via Mexico and be a camera guy. That fell through. I was there by myself, and my last couple hundred bucks was lasting me in Mexico. I got a call from my manager, and he said, “We want you to come to L.A. to audition for this show ‘Entourage.’” I was like, “What is it?” He said, “It’s an HBO show.” I was like, “Television? I don’t do television. Yeah, right, no thank you.” And he’s like, “Listen, you’ve basically been snubbing Hollywood over the past several years, going into auditions and telling directors what you think of the script.” Which isn’t really smart unless you love the script, and I typically didn’t. He says, “You’re doing this, or don’t call me anymore because you’ve got to give a little. And I’ll fly you out.” So I looked at my bank account, and I was like, “Perfect.” So I flew out and low and behold, I got lucky. I got really lucky.

And what did you think of the script?

I thought it sucked. [laughs] I told Doug [Ellin, creator of “Entourage”]. The script wasn’t horrible, but it didn’t reflect my values. You know, misogynistic guys and T and A and superficial Hollywood. That wasn’t my cup of tea. Then on top of that, my character had no lines. He was the pretty-boy movie star that never said anything. I think at one point they were talking about maybe just showing his arm or a glowing light coming from the other room. Because they were like, “How are we going to find a movie star?” Somehow, Doug convinced me that he was going to write for me.

It does still have those misogynistic, Hollywood qualities.

I think the idea of art and storytelling is to hold up a mirror to life, and that stuff is real. In fact, I think they underplay things on the show because it’s much worse in reality.

Worse, really?

Oh, yeah. A woman came up to me, and she’s like [in a sultry voice], “My daughter loves you. Oh you would love my daughter.” I’m like, “All right, well, thank you. Give my best to your daughter.” She goes, “Oh, you would give her your best, wouldn’t you?” And I’m like, you’re her mother! What are you doing? You don’t believe that stuff, but it exists.

I do believe it, sadly.

But I do love the show. I think I just got lucky. And you know what? The show taught me how to laugh and have fun. I did not know how to have fun before.

Really?

I didn’t know how to indulge in good times. I was, like, brooding and depressive and serious. Everything was all about keeping it real, and art.

Being part of “Entourage” taught you how to have fun?

The first couple of episodes, Doug would come out from behind the camera, and he’d be like, “Would you smile? You are a movie star. You made all this fucking money, and look at all these girls — hello?” And me, I’m thinking, “Well, that girl’s got fake everything. Why am I happy about that?” But then I started to understand what the show is; it’s wish fulfillment. We’re creating the fantasy, and we have to believe it, live it. It’s amazing how contagious smiles can be, and laughter. It becomes easier to adopt.

How do you feel about Vince’s progression over the years?

I feel like now, eight years older, I’ve learned so much and I wish I could go back and do it all again having learned what I know now. That’s the one thing that’s sad for me now.

For you as an actor, or Vince as a character?

As a character. Now I understand it all. When you’re in it, you’re trying to figure it out and trying to create it, conjure it. You’re never settled. You never have the feeling of having arrived. Once you’ve arrived, it’s over. It’s like, “Aw shucks!” I think now I can start watching
from the beginning and enjoy it for the first time. Acting for me is so tough because you really don’t have any perspective on yourself. You’re just trying to be present in the moment. Now in hindsight, it starts to all make sense. Which is why I like to direct.

There is talk of an Entourage movie. What would that look like?

Well, if I were to direct it, it would be, like, on Super 8 and it would be really arty and dark. Vince will struggle more. But really the sky’s the limit. I’d like to see it increase in scope, not that we haven’t managed to tackle some pretty expansive topics. One great thing of being on the show is it was like a film because we were always on legitimate locations, shooting on film and it was a one-camera shoot.

Do you want to direct documentaries or features?

I want to start getting into features. Documentaries are very hard. They take a long time, and they’re thankless, and there’s no money in them. It costs you money. Unless you make some sensational doc. But I like the simpler, exploratory, verite-type docs.

What led you to make “Teenage Paparazzo”?

I was looking for a project. Then I saw this kid, and I was like, “That kid’s interesting.” So I had him on my mind, and sitting on the set and in my own personal life experiencing this bizarre, very unique thing of becoming famous and trying to understand your place in the world and what these guys are taking your picture for and what it all means and just my general philosophical nature. He was a crack in the system, almost. It was like following the rabbit down the rabbit hole. You just follow this little kid and suddenly, 100 hours later, you’re stuck in the middle, trying to figure out this thing, and by then it’s too late because you’re already in too deep.

It was interesting to see the progression of his character, especially after he and his mother watched a portion of the documentary.

That’s one of my favorite moments, as well. That comes from the story of Narcissus. It really is about increasing your awareness and consciousness. As we become more selfaware, new layers of self-awareness come about. So I imagined the way to escape this narcissistic, self-involved reflection is by adding another reflection, so that you can see yourself and save yourself.

You were trying to save him?

Yeah.

Do you feel like it worked?

No. [laughs] I think it’s also personal choice. You can hold the mirror up, you can see everything clearly, but you choose what you want to do with that information. He’s still young. I think he needs to probably fall on his ass a bit. He needs to suffer some in order to realize. It’s not my place to punish him.

Are you guys in touch?

The bastard — and you can write this — stood me up the other day. He called me to grab a coffee and he never showed up.

Why are people so obsessed with celebrities?

I think it really is indulging the conceit of the illusion of its importance. There’s a reason why paparazzi take pictures of actors or musicians; it’s because they’re performers. As performers, their job is to create illusions and stories. So [the paparazzi] are creating more stories about who you are, who you could be, and creating that illusion. I think it’s all gonna change. I always imagined my film to mark the end of celebrity as we know it.

How will it mark the end of celebrity?

The Internet and, hopefully, my film as well will help pull back the curtain a little bit. And because we know so much about our celebrities, they cease to be these unattainable, elusive creatures. Now they’re just like, “Oh, that guy with all these flaws.”

Celebrities are also more accessible through Twitter.

Twitter undermines your elusiveness. My manager used to always hate if I ever wanted to do anything that was human. He didn’t want me to do a photo shoot where I jump in the water. I’m supposed to be this figure that you project all your fantasies or ideas onto.

After making this documentary, how do you feel about paparazzi?

I’ll tell you, there’s nothing like making a film to really come to terms with the world. I feel totally fine, I get it, I understand it. I don’t feel like I’m overly indulgent in the hype. It’s a humbling experience. I could go the way of a lot of celebrities, where you start to believe your own nonsense. But at the same time, I’m not totally insecure about whatever is said. If anybody has any question about the world or confusion, ask the right questions, make a film, and it will be revealed.

What was revealed to you?

I think it’s really about being of service and giving to other people. It’s not about what you take from a situation. If you’re telling stories, if you are in fact performing your story for the cameras, what’s the story you’re trying to tell? Is it something you’re going to be proud of later when you go back to watch the DVD of the movie of your life? Are you going to be proud of the ending, or are you going to see just this narcissistic, indulgent character? And I think we all do, on some level, perform our lives.

You seem rather grounded despite fame. What’s kept you that way?

Brooklyn! I don’t know, good mom I think. Bottom line.

Did you always want to act, growing up?

I think every kid acts a little bit. They all are silly, they play house, they play games, they dress up — make believe. I wasn’t really trying to act as a business. Growing up with my mom and not having a strong male role model, I never really was a sports guy. I always felt more comfortable with the sensitive art thespians. I was quite sensitive, too. After school, instead of going to the baseball field —’cause I was always on the bench and that was no fun — I’d go to the theater club. That led to LaGuardia [Arts], one of the better public high schools. There was an agent that saw me in a play there and wanted to send me out. I was like, “Yeah, sure.” He’d send me on auditions, and I wouldn’t show up. Iwas too busy growing up and way too cool. I really wanted to play music. I was rebellious or whatever. I didn’t really want it. I wasn’t ambitious. I didn’t start taking it seriouslyuntil I realized if I didn’t take it seriously, I’d be doing something I didn’t want to do that was even worse for a lot longer. So I started to become more disciplined just out of fear of survival.

You are involved in so many things — the documentary, show, band, eco-projects. How do you manage them all?

Very poorly. There’s a jack of all trades, master of none syndrome. I think a lot of people have it these days. Everybody dabbles in everything and thinks they can do anything because our parents told us, “Oh, you can be anything you want, including a singer. Why don’t you go on American Idol,” or whatever. Then suddenly you realize you can’t sing; you should really just be a banker. I think it’s a syndrome.

So should you not be a drummer?

To me, it’s okay. I don’t need to be the best at everything. I don’t even need to be great at anything. I’m happy playing music. I imagine times before television when people gathered around the piano and played music. It’s really a lifestyle. When you get to a certain age — especially like the age I’m getting at on Sunday, my birthday — you have to come to terms with the fact that your band is a glorified hobby. You’re not going to be a rock star. You probably won’t make any money. So do you want to play music for music’s sake, or are you chasing some pipe dream? I’ve fully come to terms with the fact that I do love playing music. And thank goodness you have the Internet because you can record something, throw it up, and it’s very satisfying.

Why don’t you think The Honey Brothers will go to that next level?

To plug into the popular zeitgeist, you have to create music the people need to have — and forget that the industry is sitting in the toilet and no one’s paying for music, anyway — but you have to hit that right note with people. We’re not Lady Gaga, and somehow people want to buy Lady Gaga. And the cooler bands like Arcade Fire are much younger. With music especially, there’s really a window. Very rarely do musicians get older and continue to make groundbreaking, cutting edge, cool stuff. They usually end up playing smooth jazz. Or, like, smooth jazz versions of what they used to play.

How would you describe the band’s sound?

I always describe us as sort of quirky indie, quirky folk new-wave rock. Part of the difficulty of music is you have to be able to define it, and it has to be accessible. We used to write a lot of eclectic songs in different genres and old Americana folk numbers. It was just too confusing to market.

You’re leaving Los Angeles now that “Entourage” is over. Why?

I have a beautiful home in Brooklyn that I’ve been working on for the past several years. It’s sort of my dream home. I built a studio in the basement. Although now that I’ve made such a solid decision, I feel like, is that the right choice? Especially since it’s such an easy lifestyle here. New York is a little brutal. I like the brutality, though. I like the somber, introspective winters.

Is it true that your place in Brooklyn is green, designed and insulated with recycled jeans?

I did what I could. This was six years ago and at that time it was just starting to become trendy, but the resources were still not as prominent as they are now. I actually had to convince my contractor to go the eco route. Then I had to do a lot of work to educate him. Now he claims to be one of the green builders in the city.

How did you get involved with sustainability?

I went through periods of neuroses where I saw the world start to decay by our hands.I believed that I made a difference. Maybe I’m wrong. But I saw the cumulative effect of small, little choices that everybody’s making, so I decided to make my choices different.

What is your goal with your green website, SHFT.com?

We’re really trying to push, nudge subtly, sustainable ideas into pop culture. Make sustainability fun, accessible, cool, make it a given.

Do you try to buy all eco-friendly products?

Of course. To me, it’s really more about being more conscientious and aware. There’s not one answer, there’s not a panacea.You just have to reengage with your life. Capitalism and consumerism have blinded us and made us consume for the sake of it, almost. We’ve become numb and desensitized. I really see the sustainable life as being a better life, increasing your quality of life. It’s not so much about only buying organic. It’s also about sharing ideas and listening. In a lot of ways it’s a spiritual effort.

Really, how so?

You look to make better your time on this planet and share it with people, so that you can help make their lives better as well. That’s a spiritual thing. To me, it’s not so much about the  afterlife. It’s about what you’re doing here, now. And then you get judged later, right?

This is your contribution.

Yeah, this is my way of avoiding hell.

So that’s really what this is all about.

It’s very selfish. I think living sustainably is a selfish thing. The life that we’re trying to save, we want to make it worth the effort. Because if life isn’t worth living, why save it? ▼

The eighth and final season of “Entourage” premieres Sunday, July 24th at 10:30 PM on HBO.