Characters

The cast of Entourage. From left to right: Jeremy Piven (Ari Gold), Kevin Connolly (Eric "E" Murphy), Adrian Grenier (Vincent "Vince" Chase), Jerry Ferrara (Turtle), Kevin Dillon (Johnny "Drama" Chase).
Entourage revolves around Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier), a young, up-and-coming actor who eventually becomes an A-list star. His experiences are loosely based on those of Mark Wahlberg, who is also executive producer on the show. His best friend and manager is Eric Murphy (Kevin Connolly). "E", as his friends call him, is based on Wahlberg's friend and executive producer Eric Weinstein. He's also been reported to be inspired by Stephen Levinson, Wahlberg's manager.
Vincent's older brother Johnny "Drama" Chase (Kevin Dillon), is also Vince's personal chef and trainer. Johnny is a C-list actor who was in the fictional show Viking Quest during his younger days. His role in the new fictional hit show Five Towns has begun to resurrect his fame and career. This character is based on Johnny "Drama" Alves (cousin of Mark Wahlberg), whom Donnie Wahlberg had hired to keep his younger brother out of trouble.
Rounding out the entourage of friends is Sal "Turtle" (Jerry Ferrara), who is another of Vince's old friends from childhood. Turtle's official role is as Vince's driver and assistant, though his value as such is often brought into question. This character is based on Mark Wahlberg's former "gofer" Donnie Carroll aka "Donkey". Carroll auditioned for the role, but the Boston-native was turned down when it was decided the actors would have to be New Yorkers. Unfortunately Carroll passed away on December 18, 2005 after an asthma attack. He was 39.
Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) is Vince's abrasive but lovable agent. The role has led to several nominations and Emmy Awards for Piven. Ari is based on Wahlberg's real-life agent Ari Emanuel.
Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara, and Jeremy Piven have been credited in every episode in the opening credits since season one. Debi Mazar who had a recurring guest star role as Shauna in season 1 began to receive opening credits billing in season 2. Because of pregnancy, her appearances in season 3 were limited and Mazar made her final regular appearance in episode 42. When she made appearances in seasons 4 and 5, Mazar was credited as a special guest star. Perrey Reeves (Mrs. Ari) and Rex Lee (Lloyd) had recurring roles in the first two seasons. Starting in season three, Reeves and Lee were credited as "starring" in the end credits in the episodes that they appeared in. After Debi Mazar left on maternity leave, Reeves began to receive in the opening credits starting in season 4 replacing Mazar's credit, and is now credited whether she appears in the episode or not. Rex Lee's name also now appears in the opening credits as of season 5 whether he appears in the episode or not. Also In season 4, Rhys Coiro's recurring character Billy Walsh was given a bigger role in the storyline, and Coiro was credited as "starring" in the first six episodes of the season. However, when his character returned in episode 52, he was again credited as a guest star.

Recurring characters
Main article: List of recurring characters in Entourage
Entourage features many recurring characters. Sometimes these characters are played by celebrities such as Malcolm McDowell as Terrance McQuewick while other celebrities, such as Mandy Moore and Seth Green appear as parodies of themselves.

Guests and cameos
Main article: List of celebrities appearing on Entourage
Entourage typically has at least one celebrity guest per episode. Appearances include Kanye West, Michael Phelps, Martin Scorsese, Gary Busey and Larry David.

Development

According to Mark Wahlberg, Entourage was initially conceived when his assistant asked to film him and his friends, calling them "hilarious". Other reports credit Eric Weinstein, a long-time friend of Wahlberg's, with the idea of filming the successful actor's group of friends. In order to be more satirical of the Hollywood lifestyle, a fictional approach was chosen rather than a straight documentary. Vincent Chase, the show's main character, was envisioned to be more similar to Wahlberg, but it was decided that some of his and his friends' activities (particularly some elements of their criminal past) would not work well on television. A lighter approach was subsequently decided on.
However, according to Donnie Carroll, who was the inspiration for the Turtle character, the idea for a show involving an actor and his friends had come from him. It had originated as a book idea, centered around Carroll's own life and his experiences with Wahlberg, entitled From the 'Hood to Hollywood, A Soldier's Story.

Information About Entourage

Entourage is an Emmy Award-winning HBO original series created by Doug Ellin that chronicles the rise of Vincent Chase — a young A-list movie star — and his childhood friends from Queens, New York City as they navigate the unfamiliar terrain of Hollywood, California. Doug Ellin, Mark Wahlberg, and Stephen Levinson serve as the show's executive producers, and the show's premise is loosely based on Wahlberg's experiences as an up-and-coming movie star.