01:29 PM EDT 04/13/2013
Jeremy Piven
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Jeremy Piven's Been Fish-Free for 10 Months
Originally posted 06/19/2009 07:15AM
Hold the fish for Jeremy Piven.
"I haven't had a piece of fish since the doctor told me to lower my blood mercury level," the Entourage Emmy winner told PEOPLE during Thursday's Lakers celebration party at Los Angeles's Nokia Club. "So, it's been almost 10 months now."
Piven, 43, abruptly left the Broadway revival of David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow mid-run in December with an ailment his doctor called fatigue from mercury poisoning.
Miffed over his departure from the show, producers filed charges with Actors Equity against Piven, with the case currently tied up in arbitration.
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Arbitration Hearing Set for Jeremy Piven
Originally posted 03/25/2009 04:15PM
This summer we may finally solve the enduring Broadway mystery: Did the fish do it?
On June 6th and 7th, an arbitrator will hear the dispute between both Actors' Equity, the producers of the Broadway revival of David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow and the production's one-time star, Emmy winning actor Jeremy Piven.
The Entourage star, 43, abruptly left the show in December – 10 weeks early – complaining of fatigue caused by toxic mercury in his system from eating fish. At the time, his doctor claimed that he had mercury levels that were six times higher than an allowable level.
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Producers Fail to Prove Jeremy Piven Gave Them Raw Deal
Originally posted 02/26/2009 05:40PM
An off-off-off Broadway drama over Jeremy Piven's sudden departure from Speed-the-Plow opened and closed Thursday with at least one positive review – from Piven.
An Actor's Equity grievance committee met for about six hours in New York, ending with no unanimous decision and Piven leaving out the back door. But later the actor issued a statement claiming victory. He also gave an interview to The New York Times.
Accompanied by his publicist, Piven told the newspaper, "The biggest misconception was that this all came out of the blue in December and that I came down with this 'sushi-gate' stuff. It's not sushi, it's from eating fish for 20 years and not understanding the mercury threat."
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Jeremy Piven to Face Actors Union
Originally posted 02/25/2009 11:55AM
At the request of the producers of Broadway's Speed-the-Plow, Jeremy Piven will stand before the grievance committee of the actors' union, Actors' Equity, on Thursday, as both sides present cases on his abrupt departure from the production before the end of his contract.
Piven, best known for his Emmy-winning portrayal of ruthless Hollywood agent Ari Gold on HBO's Entourage, blamed mercury poisoning for his withdrawal from the successful stage revival of the David Mamet play. His reps said that his leaving the production was based on doctors' orders.
Piven, 43, will appear at the Equity gathering in person, reports the New York Post, which also says that producers intend to show that records from his private-car driver will reflect that while Piven was complaining of being sick he was socializing at clubs.
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Jeremy Piven Refuses to Do a 'Mediocre' Photo Shoot
Originally posted 01/23/2009 12:05PM
Before he bowed out of his role on Broadway because of mercury poisoning, Jeremy Piven was embodying his inner Ari Gold on photo shoots to promote the play.
According to Page Six Magazine, the 43-year-old Entourage star was a bit hard to direct during a September photo shoot the magazine did to promote Speed-the-Plow.
"This isn't my first time on the merry-go-round," he said when asked to pose for a traditional head-shot. "You want mediocre? I can give you mediocre." His pose? A DMV-worthy grin.
But, as you can see here, Piven didn't want to give mediocre a little later. He popped his collar, and "letting out a guttural moan," ripped the sleeves off a $350 Giorgio Armani shirt, the mag reports.
This week's issue of Page Six Magazine hits newsstands Sunday.
– Kristin Boehm
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Jeremy Piven Explains His Mystery Ailment
Originally posted 01/15/2009 11:15AM
He became an easy punchline after dropping out of a Broadway show in December citing mercury poisoning, but Jeremy Piven says the condition was very real.
From the second week of rehearsal for the revival of David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow, the Entourage star, 43, told Good Morning America, "I was losing my balance and my memory. The lights were too bright. I couldn't get enough oxygen."
After passing out in his home after work one day, he was admitted to the hospital for three days while doctors ran extensive tests, Piven says. Doctors discovered he had six times the levels of mercury found in a healthy person, which was causing his symptoms, and warned that he could have a heart attack if he overexerted himself.
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Jeremy Piven Embarrassed by Illness Backlash
Originally posted 01/12/2009 12:05PM
Jeremy Piven admits he has faced some "embarrassing" public skepticism about his sudden decision to leave the hit Broadway revival of David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow, but the actor tells PEOPLE that none of the backlash is as bad as the health condition that caused him to quit.
Piven, who withdrew from the show last month after doctors diagnosed him with a high mercury levels in his system, says that his illness was genuine – and debilitating.
"The reality is, I was brought to my knees by this illness," Piven, 43, tells PEOPLE. "It feels like the heaviest bout of mono you've ever had in your life. It was completely overwhelming to the point where you get vertigo and it's not healthy."
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Jeremy Piven's Doc: Star Stricken by Toxins from Sushi
Originally posted 12/18/2008 04:25PM
Jeremy Piven suffered "shocking levels" of mercury in his system from eating too much sushi and Chinese herbs, forcing him to leave the Broadway play Speed-the-Plow, his doctor tells PEOPLE.
"I pulled Jeremy from the show," says Dr. Carlon Colker. "I'm an unpopular character right now."
Responding to skepticism over the decision to leave the play – playwright David Mamet joked that Piven was leaving show business to "pursue a career as a thermometer" – the doctor says the decision was purely medical, and one that Piven, 43, initially resisted.
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Jeremy Piven Abruptly Abandons Broadway Play
Originally posted 12/18/2008 08:00AM
It's a backstage drama worthy of Entourage: Leading man Jeremy Piven has suddenly split from the critical and commercial hit Broadway revival of David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow, citing doctors' diagnosis that he's suffering a high mercury count, Variety reported Thursday.
That same day, the play's producers issued the following statement: "We have been advised by Jeremy Piven’s medical representatives that he is seriously ill and is unable to fulfill his contractual obligation to Speed-the-Plow. Consequently, he has left the production 10 weeks early."
Playwright Mamet had expressed some skepticism about Piven's condition, which was revealed after the actor missed Tuesday night's and Wednesday's matinee performances – and then, reports the New York Post, flying back to Los Angeles Wednesday night.
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Jeremy Piven: Michael Phelps Can Join Our Entourage
Originally posted 09/04/2008 02:00PM
Michael Phelps delivered a brief cameo on Entourage – and some cast members would like to see the Olympian join them fulltime in the future.
"I could see him coming back as one of the boys," said Jeremy Piven during a party to celebrate the fifth season premiere of the HBO hit – held Wednesday at New York's Ziegfeld Theater. The new season starts Sunday.
And talk about swimming with sharks. Imaging how his own character – abrasive agent Ari Gold – would interact with the 23-year-old, real-life gold medalist, Piven, 43, said, "I can see Ari being very aggressive in recruiting him to represent him and also stopping at nothing to poach him from another client. That's what Ari would do."
Jerry Ferrera, who plays Turtle on the show, also likes the idea of Phelps coming back for more. "I'm lobbying to get him back next season so that I can be there," he said. "He could teach Turtle how to swim."
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