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Author:
Adam Bernard
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Entourage's Jerry Ferrara
Entourage, the story of four friends from New York who suddenly find themselves living the Hollywood high life after one of them becomes a famous actor, has become HBO’s benchmark comedy series. Jerry Ferrara’s character Turtle is known most for leeching off of his suddenly famous friend Vince, smoking weed, and delivering classic lines like “did you just get cockblocked by Bob Saget?” Recently Jerry sat down with SOAK to answer that question, and quite a few others, including how authentic the Playboy Mansion episode was.
SOAK: How’s the Entourage ride been so far?
Jerry Ferrara: It’s incredible man. For the first season it was all new to me, because I had worked but I had never been a regular on a show before. I’d done a lot of guest starring stuff and a couple independent movies. I had to get adjusted to working every single day. It’s unbelievable. I’m so lucky.
SOAK: You’re from Brooklyn, but on the show you’re playing a guy from Queens. Are any of your friends giving you a little hell for that back home?
JF: The creator, Doug Ellin, is from Queens. I was trying to tell him Brooklyn is cooler, but as long as it’s New York I’m happy.
SOAK: When you first read for the part, did you think it was going to be such a monster hit?
JF: You never really know, you’re always hoping it will be. I’ve read for over 100 pilots since I moved to LA and out of those 100, maybe five of them went on to become shows, even for just a year, and I obviously didn’t get those parts. But honestly you can’t pick a better network than HBO. If they like the shows themselves, they put everything into it. We got a little bit snubbed at the Emmy awards, but that was based on the first season, I think next year we’re going to get one.
SOAK: I don’t think it’s any secret that the girls have gotten even hotter on the show this year; you were at the Playboy Mansion, Vince’s new house is two doors down from a brothel, in what ways are you taking advantage of the scenery?
JF: You know, any time you show up to work, and you’re on a set and there’s 50 beautiful women, it’s not a bad day. Last year it felt like we had a lot of girls come and go, but this year, they’re writing some good characters for some of these women. The Madame character in episode five, that was a good character for us. Debbie Mazar’s character is growing. We’re hoping women look at it and say, this is what guys are really like and they can’t get mad at it.
SOAK: You’re in LA, so some of those 50 beauties you see every day are a little “enhanced,” right?
JF: Oh yeah. Shake what the doctor gave ya.
SOAK: Have you, as Jerry Ferrara, gotten to experience some of the same parties and insanity that your character, Turtle, has?
JF: You know what, I have man. It’s weird the parallels between the show and my real life. Between the parties and Vince being an up and coming actor, he’s seeing a lot of stuff for the first time at the same time I am. We’re not making this stuff up, it’s very accurate. Last season at the end of the season, Vince was going back home to make a little indy film. The same day we wrapped, I went home to make an indy (Brooklyn Rules).
SOAK: You actually have two indies under your belt right now, “Cross Bronx” and “Brooklyn Rules.”
JF: Cross Bronx got me Entourage. It’s actually coming out in October, and they saw me in that and they said this kid would be good for Turtle. Cross Bronx was something that went on for a while; it was originally a pilot for MTV that wasn’t picked up. It got such a good reaction, people were stunned that it didn’t get picked up. Larry Golan is a phenomenal writer and I stayed close with him. He said, screw everybody else, we just want to make this movie. We all raised money ourselves and we shot it with nobody. We might as well have been doing a student film. We didn't know how it was going to turn out, but it did really, really well (at film festivals). Now the movie’s finally getting it’s due. It’s like watching your kid graduate high school and go on to college.
SOAK: You also have “Brooklyn Rules” with Alec Baldwin, Scott Caan and Freddie Prinze Jr. coming out this year. Are you only doing movies with NYC boroughs in their titles?
JF: I knew eventually someone would catch that. I just look at it like, I’m not trying to hide the fact that I'm a New Yorker. I don’t want to just do characters from New York but it’s still early in my career so whatever it is to help me get to the point where I can do different things, I’ll do. I’ve got a soft spot for anything shot in New York, I look at it like a free trip home. “Nailed Right In” was the original title, you never know, it might go back to that.
SOAK: You’ve got a hit TV show, you’re doing movies, we need a party story, bro. Hit me with your best one.
JF: If you want to just compare the show to real life just watch the Playboy Mansion episode and I’ve literally been in that situation where you’ve been shopping all day long for pajamas that nobody else has. You get dressed, there’s a line of cars, people are trying to sneak people in, and once you get in, it’s basically the adult male Disneyland. Exactly the way it was shown on the show is exactly the way it is in real life. I was there with a buddy and at one point we just had to stop and say, we’re at the Playboy Mansion now.
SOAK: Did you meet anyone there?
JF: I actually met a Playmate who I had the biggest crush on when I was 13 years old. Stacy Sanches. She’ll never remember meeting me, but that made my night.
SOAK: You never know man, the show’s getting pretty big.
JF: I can't even think about the fact that she might remember who I am.
SOAK: You’re also getting to meet a ton of Hollywood hotshots, because it seems like everyone wants to guest on Entourage. How much networking have you been able to do with the guest stars?
JF: Not networking, but just the chance to hang out with and work with Gary Busey, Val Kilmer, Jessica Alba, Bob Saget, Hugh Hefner, even Ralph Macchio. I grew up watching Ralph Macchio and he’s one of the nicest guys in the world. In the second season, it’s a lot easier, people are calling us asking why they haven’t been on the show. Jamie Pressley did the show and I think that part was written for someone else and Jamie Pressley just happened to be a fan of the show. We needed someone and she said she liked the show and she’d do it.
SOAK: Did you hit on Jamie Pressley?
JF: I’m way too intimidated by her. I’m a lot different than Turtle; I’m actually way more shy with those things. I can’t just say “my boy’s famous, do you want to have sex?” Once I get to know you, I can talk forever, but for that initial two minutes of conversation, I’m just awful.
SOAK: As a group how did ya’ll develop that chemistry so quickly? It really seems like you’ve known each other forever.
JF: One of the guys responsible for the chemistry was our creator Mark Wahlberg. He knew these characters would have to be friends for 20 years and come off like that. The weekend before the pilot he flew us to Vegas for the first Roy Jones - Antonio Tarver fight. You want to learn about a person, lose a lot of money with them.
SOAK: How much did you lose?
JF: $500, but at the time it might as well have been five million because we hadn’t gotten a paycheck yet.
SOAK: How accurate would you say the representations are? Have you met an Ari? A Drama?
JF: We’re all based on somebody. Everyone thinks the Vince character is based on Mark Wahlberg, but you can look at them and just tell they’re not the same. We’re not prototypes of these guys, just a blueprint and the characters have developed into different people. Jeremy Piven is based on Mark’s agent Ari and he just gives a perfect performance of an agent in Hollywood.
SOAK: How much of yourself do you see in your character?
JF: There’s a lot, also there’s a lot of my real friends back in Brooklyn that I use. Different moments come across when I’m looking at a scene and how I am in this scene reminds me of how my boy Gerard was, or Sal was. But I’m a lot more shy than Turtle. Turtle has no inner voice he just says whatever is on his mind. Me, I think before I say everything. I’d say I see 10% of me in Turtle.
SOAK: Are there aspects of Turtle you’d like to incorporate into your own life?
JF: There’s some things I don’t want to take on and there’s some things that I do. We’ll do a party scene then go to a club, and I'll still be going, I haven’t unwinded yet from work and I’m runnin’ around like Turtle. I have to realize we’re not in a scene anymore. There’s no director to yell cut. I have to pace myself.
SOAK: What would you like to see happen for Turtle next season?
JF: It hasn’t happened yet this season, but towards the end you will see a major growth, the last two or three episodes he makes a major go at something. I’d like to see his real name come out.
SOAK: We don’t even know how he got the name Turtle.
JF: That was my next thing. We’ve talked about things and I kind of have ideas of which way they’d like to go. And maybe for just an episode I’d like to actually see him want more than just sex from a girl, I think that could add something funny: Turtle goes on a real date. The guy doesn’t date, he tries to have sex and that’s it. Just one episode and that’s it.
SOAK: Do you want it for just one episode, because if he got a serious girlfriend he won’t be hitting on women all the time?
JF: Yeah. I don’t want that to end, I get to live through him.
SOAK: Who would you like to see him date?
JF: If I could pick anybody, for the characters benefit, it might be fun if Turtle actually got a celebrity chick and Vince didn’t. Jessica Biel would be the prefect candidate for me.
SOAK: Don’t tell me Turtle’s sittin’ around watching reruns of 7th Heaven.
JF: Nah, but he might pop in Blade: Trinity from time to time.
SOAK: Who else would you like to see as a guest next season?
JF: I have no idea what is even going to go on next year, but one guy I think would be perfect do our show is Vince Vaughn. That guy is just one of the coolest guys and he’s absolutely hilarious with everything he does.
SOAK: Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask, do you think Bob Saget would really cockblock someone?
JF: You never know, Bob Saget is a force of nature. That guy is probably one of my favorite guest stars to come on. He’s a stand up comic and he had no problem embracing the ideas the writers and producers had for him. I have a feeling Bob Saget will be back.
Keywords:
Jerry Ferrara,
Entourage,
Turtle,
Brooklyn Rules,
HBO,
television,
actor,
movies
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