Emmanuelle Chriqui Was Never Meant To Be An Entourage Regular

“I know that originally I was supposed to do three episodes of the show, but when I joined the show, Kevin Connolly (who plays E, Sloan’s love interest) said to me, ‘We can really turn this into something,’ that’s what he was always thinking,” Chriqui recalls.

Introduced as the daughter to one of the most powerful talent agents in LA, E is immediately drawn to Sloan, and the two kicked off their relationship which blossomed quickly, much to the delight of the audience. “And then that turned into the rest of the season, turned into a couple more seasons, turned into six seasons and here we are for the movie, it’s kind of surreal,” she says, though she believes the show creator Doug Ellin is the reason behind it all happening. “I do know that he really loved E and Sloan together, he loved it.”

The 37-year-old shrugs off the notion that she and Connolly had to rebuild their chemistry for the film after the TV show wrapped in 2011, saying that the spark in their onscreen relationship is just natural, “100% it just is.”

“I had this big hard belly strapped on to my midsection. It really helped to like, walk a certain way!"

Numerous times throughout the show’s run the two break up and make up and Chriqui believes it is that hostile relationship that makes it so easy to perform, not to mention she has been close friends with Connolly for a number of years. “We played opposite each other for so long and always in these tumultuous circumstances. The writing really hands it to you… [it] just makes it effortless to get right back into.”

Among the most memorable moments for the couple include a very candid episode in which they partake in a threesome, with Sloan’s best friend, played by Malin Akerman and, of course, E’s impulsive proposal to Sloan in season six, which she accepts, then takes back by the next season.

In the latest outing for the Entourage franchise, Sloan is pregnant with E’s baby. The pair have again broken off after their romantic getaway in the final episode of season eight, for reasons which are explained in the film.

It may have been a challenge for Chriqui to walk around on set with a fake pregnant baby, but it was one she found amusing. “It was hilarious,” she laughs. “I had this big hard belly strapped on to my midsection. It really helped to like, walk a certain way and kind of understand why women are always touching this protrusion!”  

Those who know the show would understand that E’s friends and fellow main characters Vince, Turtle and Drama have such a close-knit relationship that they consider Sloan’s baby their own, which Chriqui believes is a testament to the cast’s bond. “It was really exciting to be the one that is basically having the guys’ baby!”

After starring in seven of the eight seasons of Entourage, Chriqui admits that she did not expect the film to come to fruition. “No, initially, not at all. When things were winding down at the end of the series, there was a lot of talk about a movie and then it kind of went away, it was just like, ‘Well, that would be cool, but I doubt it’s going to happen, whatever moving on.’”

Entourage executive producer Mark Wahlberg constantly teased that a script was being written and it was generally believed that the sudden and odd ending to the show in season eight was intentionally done to open it up for a film. “But then it kind of started to percolate again and now its here — it had its own evolution of getting here,” she explains, with Doug Ellin officially confirming a green-lit script in 2013. 

“We had to be back just before three o’clock because the celebrities for the Golden Globes would start to come on the carpet.”

So with all of the star cameos appearing in over eight seasons and a film, not to mention another starring role she had alongside Adam Sandler in 2008’s Don’t Mess With The Zohan, was there ever a time Chriqui herself was starstruck while shooting on set? “Yes!” she yells before the question has even been fully asked. “At the end of the seventh season, there was Matt Damon and Lebron James, that was the most insane day ever for me. I was like, ‘What is happening? This is incredible!’”

More huge cameos in the upcoming film include Pharrell Williams, Ronda Rousey, Liam Neeson, TI, Mike Tyson, Calvin Harris and Jessica Alba.

Some will also remember that the Entourage movie made headlines in January when the cast was spotted filming scenes at the 72nd Golden Globes ceremony in LA, and while the actors are famous in their own right, they were strictly in character for the entire day’s shoot. 

“We had to be back just before three o’clock because the celebrities for the Golden Globes would start to come on the carpet,” she recalls of the guerilla shoot. 

Fans and media who were on hand for the annual event were lucky enough to watch the scenes, which do feature in the film, play out in front of them, and Chriqui says the key was to do what needed to be done quickly to not spoil the fun. “We had to do our thing and make it very brief, to the point, get what we needed to get and get out. And we had a very certain time[frame], I think we had between like, noon and three to shoot. It was kind of wild,” she laughs.

Rumours have already begun that those working behind the scenes of Entourage are already considering doing a second movie, but Chriqui says there is no pressure due to her close relationship with the team, particularly the four main actors. “It almost feels like, you know, muscle memory kicks in when you play the part for so long. The thing is even though there was this time in between the show and the movie, we’ve kept in touch, the guys and I.”

Meanwhile, forward from Entourage, Chriqui has joined a new TV program in its second season, US crime show, Murder In The First, alongside US stars, Taye Diggs and Kathleen Robertson. “I’m literally shooting that as we speak… It’s great, I’m really excited about that show.” 

"Muscle memory kicks in when you play the part for so long."

The show currently airs on US channel TNT with the new season to start on 8 Jun and though no Australian release date is scheduled as yet, it is expected to make its way onto national screens. 

If this is to be the final curtain call for the franchise however, then one more thing needs to be settled. Entourage fans will recall that Seth Green, who played a jerky fictional version of himself, constantly taunts E that he in fact has a past with Sloan, but it was never proven to be true or not — so,  what really happened with Sloan and Green? “Oh my God, nobody knows!” Chriqui laughs, admitting that Ellin refused to tell her. I’ve asked Doug, I’m like, ‘Did that happen or didn’t it happen?’ and he’s like, ‘Well, I dunno. What do you think?’”

“I think no, I would say no I think it was a pipe dream for Seth, as much as I love him, I just don’t think so,” she says, stressing that Green is nothing like the version of himself that he depicts in Entourage.

“He’s so good, that was on purpose obviously and he played it so well. Doug likes to have fun like that you know, kinda flips things on its ass.”