SubscribeKevin Connolly tells us about his role on 'Entourage': 'I'm there to try to ground the madness as best I can'
Adrian Grenier may be the heartthrob in the spotlight of "Entourage" but many TV critics claim that Kevin Connolly is actually the show's best actor and, in many ways, its lead star. He's the one "sane" member of the Hollywood wolf pack, so TV viewers can see the show through his eyes. Could Kevin Connolly be nominated for best lead comedy actor?
Possibly, yes. Last year only Grenier made the top 10 finalist list and wasn't nominated. However, if Connolly makes the cut this year and judges see his acting chops up close, they might be sufficiently impressed. His role as Eric has more psychological depth and complexity than Grenier's Vince and Connolly nails it.
"Entourage" has been nominated in all of the top Emmy races — comedy series, directing and writing — and it's won twice in supporting (Jeremy Piven), but it's not yet landed a bid for best actor. Of the four members of the bully pack, Kevin Connolly and Adrian Grenier compete in the lead acting race at the Emmys; Kevin Dillon and Jerry Ferrara go supporting.
Even if Connolly doesn't land a best-actor bid, there's an excellent chance that "Entourage" will be nominated for a second, consecutive year in a row as best comedy series and might finally be poised to win. Some Emmy-watchers believe the show skews too young for the average TV academy demographic, but that's what others once said about its sister HBO show, "Sex and the City" which won the top prize upon its third nomination.
Oh, whatever — as one of the boys might say. 'Tis time now to chat with one of them directly, so Kevin Connolly and I gabbed recently about kudos and stuff.
What is it like to have your show be a top kudos player at the Emmys, Golden Globes, SAG, PGA, WGA and TV Critics Assn.?
"It's great to go to those award shows and actually have a reason to be there!" Connolly gasps in our podcast chat, sounding just like his average-Joe character, overwhelmed and flabbergasted at finding himself on red carpets where he secretly thinks he doesn't belong. To download the MP3 file and listen in, CLICK HERE . (Note: You may need to hold down your computer's control key while clicking.)
"Of course, I would love one day to get nominated, but we want to keep the show nominated for best comedy," he adds. "It's important."
But if Connolly makes the best-actor lineup, it'll be because of the strength of the — surprising — episode he submitted to Emmy judges, "Mailbooty," which depicts him at war with his chums over what to do with the movie they produced, titled "Medellin": sell it directly to "Harvey Weingard" (Eric/Kevin's choice) or dare to submit it as an entry to Cannes and risk having it rejected (that's what everybody else wants). Since Eric is, nominally, the pack's "manager" and this film's exec-producer, his pals should rally behind his leadership, but they don't.
"'Mailbooty' shows my character separating himself from the group," he notes. "This is the first time I'm literally by myself. It's a well-written episode for me and covered a lot of ground."
Still, it's a surprising episode entry since most "Entourage" Emmy-watchers assumed he'd enter "Welcome to the Jungle," which depicts all of the ridiculous calamities that occurred while "Medellin" was being filmed and Eric/Kevin, as producer, tried not to go bonkers.
"I like the 'Welcome to the Jungle' episode, but the star of that episode was the episode itself," Connolly insists. He means the way it was shot — documentary-style, breaking the "fourth wall," all that. Very un-"Entourage." Interesting point. But is he right?
Brendan- I totally agree with you. It is so hard to be the Abbott to everyone's Costello. He is the consumate straight man on the show. But, some of Kevin Connolly's facial expressions or reactions to the other players on the show make his comedic timing all the better. He is so subtle, you don't realize how funny he really is on the show.
Posted by: kc fan | June 27, 2008 at 08:29 AM
There's only one problem with Connolly being nominated for Best Comedic Actor...he's never funny on the show! He plays the straight man and almost NEVER has any jokes. If you're in a comedy and you're not funny, why in the world would he get nominated for that? I agree he's a good actor, but the guy never gets the chance to show if he has any comedic skill.
Posted by: Brendan | June 26, 2008 at 01:57 AM
Good catch, Abe! I've made the cx
Posted by: Tom O'Neil | June 24, 2008 at 04:30 PM
Tom-
Entourage has only been nominated for Best Comedy Series once, which was last year.
Posted by: Abe | June 24, 2008 at 03:16 PM
Kevin Connolly definitely deserves an Emmy nod. He character has the most depth and is the glue that keeps the rest of the cast together. Lets hope he gets the recognition he deserves this year.
Posted by: kc fan | June 24, 2008 at 01:50 PM