What’s more meta than a movie within a movie? How about a movie within a movie based on a TV show about a bunch of guys making movies in Hollywood where the executive producer is actually the inspiration for the lead actor?
That’s essentially HBO’s plot Entouragethe franchise inspired by Mark Wahlberg‘s rise to stardom. The HBO series, created by Doug Ellinwon several Primetime Emmy and Golden Globe awards, and the subsequent film grossed $49.3 million at the box office.
Entourage premiered on HBO in 2004 and introduced viewers to movie star Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) and his main team of supportive friends (Kevin Connolly, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara And Jeremy Piven). The devil wears Prada star plays the main character who tries to balance friendship and personal gain in Los Angeles alongside the last four stars.
“It was definitely a different time,” Grenier recalled his on-set experience during a GK Australia interview in November 2020. “We wouldn’t get away with the same things we did on the show today. I’m glad we got it done then.”
He continued, “I actually could have used a little more Vince in my life. But I’m happy to say that I was able to play a role and then become myself again. … I was making documentaries in Mexico when I got the part, so it was quite a change.
The entourage of Entourage was much bigger than just the five headmen that fit on the poster. The cast also included other stars, including Debi Mazar, Constance Zimmer And Emmanuelle Chrisqui — who made memorable cameos in the HBO drama.
Nearly four years after the award-winning series concluded, the Hollywood crew reunited for a cinematic follow-up — just days after the finale’s cliffhanger scenes.
“We shot widescreen from the start, like it was on a big screen,” Grenier said The independent in June 2015. “Fans watched four or five episodes in a row. The only difference [for the movie] is that we left out the opening and closing credits.”
He added: “One of the things I like about this [project] is that it’s about how you raise your neighbors and your friends and your family, how you support them. Even though the theme seems to be about indulgence and materialism, it really isn’t. It’s about supporting your friends.”
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Scroll below to see what the cast has been up to since the show – and movie – wrapped: