Adrian Grenier interview

Superstar Hollywood actor and Entourage protagonist Vincent Chase is back. Still with all his childhood buddies from the ’hood in tow, the gang have lived like kings for six seasons, with endless money, girls, parties and a string of celeb acquaintances, from Scarlett Johansson and Bono to Queen Latifah and John Cleese.

Yet the seventh season also signals Vince’s downfall. The final episode is aptly named ‘Lose Yourself’ for a couple of reasons, the main one being Eminem (the rapper appears while Vince is being kicked out of a club by bouncers). Is the free ride over? What will happen to Ari, E, Drama and Turtle? Frontman Adrian Grenier, who plays Vince, dishes the dirt.

Entourage is ending in 2011 with a shortened season eight. Is it time?
I think we’re going to end in the perfect way, but it’s not quite over. Hey, if they offer me another 10 years, I’d take it. Can you imagine? We could have Vince sitting at home while his sons run around town getting into trouble.

Do you have as much success with women as Vince does?
Vince hasn’t had as much success as he should. I’m starting to complain! I remember when we shot the pilot, there’s a pool scene and there’s all these girls, and I took a step back and said, ‘Wow, this is what it’s going to be like for the next several years.’ But ultimately it’s not really about that. It’s about our friendship and how we keep each other rooted and grounded.

Do you have an entourage like Vince?
‘Entourage’ is a fancy word for friend. I think everyone has an entourage.

The show is based on the early Hollywood experiences of its executive producer, Mark Wahlberg, and his entourage. What can you tell us about Mark?
I’d never tell him to his face, but the truth is I’m a little scared of Mark. His entourage was much rougher than the characters in the show. If they were here now, they’d probably beat us up. I’ve tried and failed to introduce some of those scarier elements to my portrayal of Vince.

Could you live a life like Vince’s?
He has a charmed life and not much goes wrong for him. What’s not to like?

What misconceptions do people have about you?
They think I’m Vince. They really want me to be Vince. On some level, I embody this figure that people want to be real. They want me to be that playboy guy and I’m encouraged to be it. When I see people out in the world, they want to hang out with me. They want to live the lifestyle and indulge.

How do you think success has changed things for you?
It has given me a lot of opportunity to do things in my life that I really want to do, as well as giving me a lot of confidence to pursue my own goals. To not have to necessarily worry about the next pay cheque and to have a good job on a great show on an amazing channel has been very lucky.

The seventh season of Entourage premieres on January 16 at 8pm on OSN Comedy.