Recasting "Entourage": HBO's Hit Comedy Gets a Latin Makeover!

We are exactly two weeks away from the July 12 premiere of Entourage’s sixth season, and I can’t wait to be reunited with my boys. I’m also looking forward to seeing cubana Jamie-Lynn Sigler reprise her role as Turtle’s (Jerry Ferrara) kick-ass girlfriend (Sigler plays a version of herself on the show; coincidentally, Ferrara is also Sigler’s real-life boyfriend). Other than Sigler, Entourage rarely features Latinos—which is why I’m doing the hiring myself, Vivo Por TiVo style! I’m also taking this moment to translate the show's most popular catchphrase into Spanish: “Let’s hug it out, bitch” becomes “Dame un abrazo, chico.” Works, doesn’t it? Without further ado, here’s how the cast of Doug Ellin’s comedy would look if the good ol’ boys from Queens were Latino:
Vincent “Vinny” Chase: The main character and ultimate ladies' man of Entourage is played by Adrian Grenier. Although Grenier is certainly easy on the eyes, I’ve never really believed him as Vinny Chase. But I would buy Jesus Luz in the role—Madonna’s 22-year-old Brazilian model boyfriend. With his blue eyes, bronzed skin and incredible body, Luz is the whole package. It doesn’t even matter that he probably can’t act, because the inside joke is that Vince isn’t a great actor—he’s a pretty face.
Eric Murphy: Kevin Connolly plays the conscientious nice guy, naive hopeless romantic and Vince’s lifelong best bud. Eric is also Vince’s manager. So I needed to find a Latin actor who could play both the loveable best buddy and the uptight, self-righteous manager. Michael Trevino, the 24-year-old Mexican actor who has starred on 90210, The Riches and Cane, fits the bill. Trevino has proven that he can ace the part of a tortured bad boy, but can also play crabby and judgmental.
Johnny “Drama” Chase: Of the four main characters on Entourage, Drama, played by Kevin Dillon, is the best developed. An over-the-hill actor who still dreams of hitting the big time, Drama’s storylines are always the funniest, mostly because he’s always doing something stupid (like begging for money to get calf implants or messing with an ultimate street fighter). We love Drama, despite the fact that he’s a total pain-in-the-ass who has entitlement issues. The best Latino actor I could find to play this role is Kevin Alejandro, who stars on the NBC cop drama Southland, and has a recurring role on Showtime’s hit show Weeds this summer. Alejandro, who’s 33, is one of those actors who's never gotten his big break, despite the fact that he has done some solid work on a number of hit shows. In other words, he’s just like Drama.
Turtle: Jerry Ferrara’s Turtle is the hardest character to cast with a Latino actor. We don’t have many kind-of-chubby dudes in Hollywood who like to eat and can play the role of a wingman. After a lot of thought, I chose Victor Rasuk, the star of the Indie movies Raising Victor Vargas. Rasuk, who’s from New York, has a thick accent that would make him sound like an authentic Queens boy. Plus, he’s laid-back and chill like Turtle, and is also great at providing Turtle’s signature comic relief!
Ari Gold: Jeremy Piven as Ari talks a mile a minute, breathes heavily, yells constantly and curses like a sailor. Who does that remind me of in Latin Hollywood? Ah, yes, a guy you may have heard of: John Leguizamo! It’s not hard to imagine the wild and crazy Leguizamo starring as Ari. I can easily see him walking around ICM telling the other agents to “Get the “f--k off the f-----g phone, right the f--k now!” Can’t you? I can also see Leguizamo taunting, harassing and later making up with his assistant Lloyd (Rex Lee). At 45, Leguizamo is at the perfect age to join ICM as an agent (Piven is 43). John is also a great character actor, so nailing Ari’s softer side shouldn’t be difficult for him.
Here’s a sneak peak of what’s coming up on Entourage:
Will you be watching this season? And what do you think of the all-new Latin Entourage? Dish in the comments.
SUBSCRIBE NOW AND SAVE 66%














