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The Entourage film was finally released last week, fulfilling the dreams of so many fans of the HBO series around the country. With that, the film's stars also found themselves relieved, largely due to the fact that the movie has been hyped up for quite some time now. Emmanuelle Chriqui, who played Sloan McQuewick on the HBO TV show and continues to do so in the film, admits that it's quite a relief to have the movie finally in theaters.
On Entourage fans, Chriqui exclusively tells MStars News, "They've been so patient and they've been so supportive. If all else fails, I'm very certain that we're gonna have very happy fans."
MStars recently spoke with Chriqui about the new Entourage film, what it was like bringing creator Doug Ellin's Boys from Queens Blvd. to the big screen, and even her newest project, Season 2 of TNT's Murder in the First.
MStars News: Entourage is finally out. There's always a lot of nerves with new films, but with something like Entourage, which was such a powerhouse, is it at all less nerve wracking?
Emmanuelle Chriqui: [It is] less nerve wracking. It's super interesting because there was never this anxiety or fear about making the movie because we knew that, like you said, coming from such a successful television show, we often knew this movie wasn't gonna get made unless the script was where it needed to be. Doug Ellin wouldn't just do that.
Going from series to movie just felt really, really seamless. And it just was fun and we all sort of just jumped right back in, sort of picked up where we left off, without a hitch.
MS: I wonder if part of the reason you were able to jump back into it is due to Doug Ellin's writing style.
EC: 100%! Doug Ellin, he's connected to all of them. They live in his head and there is such clarity to all of them. He knows their voices.
I think when you've created these characters and have gotten to play with them for eight years, you know these people. That doesn't go away, even after a couple year break. It feels like muscle memory.
I can't speak for him, but certainly as an actor I felt like it was muscle memory. Like, to jump right back in, it was like "Oh my god, I've missed her!" [laughs]
MS: I think most would agree that the when series ended, everyone was rather satisfied. So, with an ending that was so pleasing to everybody, was there at all fear of making a film and tainting what was remembered?
EC: I don't think so. I feel like it was set up in such a way that a film could be really fun to make and it would make sense. There was never any trepidation about that.
[The movie is] so true to the show but I think it stands alone as a film. It's just like a really fun, entertaining, romantic comedy. [laughs]
MS: There was something very special about the storyline between you and Kevin Connolly. That relationship really stood out to a lot of viewers. Now, they're not together in the film. How did you feel when you first heard that?
EC: Oh, I knew it was gonna be that way. I mean, it's the story of E and Sloan. Are you kidding? That's like the most emotionless relationship on the planet.
MS: But you want them to be together so much.
EC: You do! You want them to be together. I think the thing that's really cool is that we knew without a shadow of a doubt that these two are connected for life. I mean, this kid bonds them probably more than anything, so anything else feels like gravy at this point.
And I think there's a bit of a misconception because a lot of people, at the end of the series, thought E and Sloan actually got back together, when in fact they just made up. People sort of watched the end and some thought that when he got on the plane with her that "Oh, they got back together."
MS: That's what we all wanted.
EC: [laughs] Right, exactly, myself included. I love those two.
MS: There were a lot of female characters on Entourage that came and went, but Sloan was one that always stood out among the bunch. Why do you think viewers took to her so much?
EC: I think the thing that sets Sloan apart is that she was almost the softest of those women, especially Perry Reeves and Constance Zimmer. Which isn't to say that she wasn't in power, I think she was, but she– Look, Dana Gordon runs the studio; Mrs. Ari has to deal with Ari – you've got to be tough as nails to do that. And I think that Sloan was the only one where there was a kind of softness about her. I think a lot of people just felt they could relate to or maybe wanted to be around her.
And I think [she was] grounded under the circumstances. Technically, [she was] the girl that was born with the silver spoon in her mouth, but never acted that way.
MS: Did you know what she would become walking into this role when you first started?
EC: Not. At. All. I mean, Entourage is the gift that keeps on giving. I am eternally grateful to Doug Ellin and to Kevin Connolly. Both of them, they were my biggest cheerleaders going into this. Kevin Connolly had literally–literally–taken me under his wing and from the get go had told me, "We can turn this into something." And in the same breath, Doug Ellin was just always very protective of how he wrote Sloan, like really protective.
He had his real soft spot for Sloan and E. Like, whenever he would come to set and would come in our scenes, he would wander over to our set and come and chat with us and be like "Ah, I love you guys." [laughs]
MS: It's funny, that description right there– A lot of people talk about Entourage. It's about Hollywood, yes, but in truth it's really about friendship.
EC: Absolutely! I think that resonates the deepest. I feel like when you've been in this town long enough, the number one question is, "How do you survive it?" And 9 times out of 10, people are gonna be like, "Because I surround myself with an amazing group of people." You need to find that and that's what these guys have.
When push comes to shove, friendship is gonna trump everything for these guys. No matter what the situation may be, no matter how giant of a star Vince is, no matter how much money Turtle's making, no matter what happens with anybody, when push comes to shove, their friendship trumps everything. I think that that's what tugs at people's heartstrings.
MS: I absolutely agree. Entourage has gotten a little flak for being sexist. As one of the main women on the cast, what is your opinion on that?
EC: This has been a running theme in the press. Everybody's gonna jump on the bandwagon and call it "misogynistic." And the truth is, I'm not saying that it's not, but what I'm saying is that what makes this entire series and movie so special, what made it pop, is that it's a slice of Hollywood. And, whether you like it or not, Hollywood is misogynistic [laughs]
And the thing is, I say, "Hats off" to Doug Ellin for not being afraid to show all the shitty sides of our industry, all of the things.
Listen, I'm a feminist, I'm full women power, but I'm also not gonna say to you that none of that stuff happens. It does.
And, by the way, he also has Dana Gordon is running the studio. And she's fierce. Amanda Daniels, Carla Gugino, when she was in the series, she was running a studio and she's fierce. Ari is nothing without his wife; he crumbles without her.
So, it's like, there's an argument for both and I think the thing that's most important is that he was true to what this town is. And as magical, and glamorous, and as awesome as it is, there is a darkness about it.
MS: Outside of Entourage, you're working on Murder in the First on TNT. Can you tell me just a little bit about that?
EC: Yes! It's on TNT. And it actually, the second season starts airing on June 8. This has just been like a very, very exciting journey for me because I just get to play a character that is truly unlike any one that I have ever played. I mean, I would go so far as to say she is the antithesis of Sloan, which as an actor is just so exciting to just go way outside the box. She's tough; she's had a tough life. She's somebody who fought in the Israeli army and was very, very good at her job.
She's half Israeli, she's half Mexican, she's super street and she's got a lot of demons that she's never dealt with. And it's dark; it's gritty. And the show, I mean, Taye Diggs and Kathleen Robertson and the rest of the cast, we have such a solid cast, man. It's unbelievable.
MS: The role sort of let's you stretch your legs a little bit and do something totally different.
EC: 100%! It's the goal, always. You know, it's like, that's the dream essentially. It's definitely not one of the roles where people are gonna be like, "Damn, Raffi so fine!" [laughs]
Season 2 of Murder in the First kicks off Monday, June 8 at 10 p.m. on TNT. Entourage is in theaters now.
A video posted by Entourage Movie (@entouragemovie) on Jun 5, 2015 at 2:51pm PDT
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