HBO Glitters With Ari Gold

Sept. 12, 2005 — -- Jeremy Piven has become a Hollywood player by playing one on TV -- and in the process, he just might win a Primetime Emmy by making the most image-conscious business on Earth laugh at itself.

As superagent Ari Gold on "Entourage," the 40-year-old actor has become HBO's most fascinating scoundrel since Tony Soprano. Why, Carrie Bradshaw might even call Mr. Gold the new Mr. Big, especially if he walks away with honors this Sunday for best supporting actor in a comedy series.

"I'm attracted to flawed characters," Piven says. "They're fun and interesting to play and the rest comes from that."

But after years as a supporting actor on TV's "Ellen" and "The Larry Sanders Show," and in such films as "Grosse Point Blank," "Serendipity" and "Old School," Piven can no longer fade into the background. With Ari Gold, Piven has created an indelible image of show business that is sure to follow him around for the rest of his life.

Piven's Gold is a hyperactive wheeler-dealer, a film industry shark with supreme confidence and a cruel sense of humor, a man who describes himself as "rich and miserable," but nevertheless seems to enjoy the mayhem of moviemaking.

"Call me Helen Keller," he boasts, "because I'm a [expletive deleted] miracle worker!"

And if you find that quip a little offensive, don't worry. Ari's a total L.A. schmoozer, armed with the latest West Coast jargon. His current favorite: "Let's hug it out, bitch!"

"Entourage" is now among HBO's most buzz-worthy shows. Even though it's drawing fewer than 2 million viewers an episode, they must be the right 2 million. The pay cable network ordered a third season even before the second season ended, and last week's season finale all but assured Piven's character a greater role in the show's future.

Perhaps part of the cultish allure is the show's fresh take on the film industry. Adrian Grenier plays fast-rising boy star Vinnie Chase -- a character loosely modeled on Mark Wahlberg -- who brought his hometown posse to run amok in Tinseltown. Wahlberg is one of "Entourage's" executive producers.