Doug Ellin Interview with WSJ

By Jon Friedman

Doug Ellin, the creator and executive producer of HBO’s hit series “Entourage,” still gets a kick out of directing episodes of the show, which will launch its seventh season on June 27. And he still dreads the task of writing the scripts because -– as any writer will tell you -– it’s hard work.

When I caught up with Ellin late last month on the set of “Entourage” in Culver City, he was good-naturedly kvetching about the task at hand. “I still have two scripts to write,” he said in an interview (see video below) He added: “I hate writing so much, I try to avoid it.”

That would come as a surprise to the legion of “Entourage” fans who have to come enjoy the lively dialogue between the four pals at the core of the show, Vince (Adrian Grenier), E (Kevin Connolly), Johnny Drama (Kevin Dillon) and Turtle (Jerry Ferrara). Plus, the ever-combustible agent, Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven), has morphed into one of the most recognizable characters on the tube.

One of Ellin’s skills is finding time to develop each character’s personality in only 30 minutes on each show. “We pack a lot into a half-hour,” he said proudly.

Ellin has also created popular and familiar guest roles, especially the crazy-director Billy Walsh (Rhys Coiro). “Everyone’s asking me about Billy,” Ellin said.

Fans of the show, numbering people who work in the entertainment industry and those who are outside of it completely, both marvel at the perfect pitch of “Entourage.” The show has a knack for holding a mirror up to the mercurial ways of Hollywood.

That is by design, Ellin stresses. He understands the vicissitudes show biz. “One minute. you think you’re on top of the world,” he pointed out – and the next, you’re leaving town.

By Hollywood standards, “Entourage” has defied the odds in its longevity. So far, the core players have remained on the show. There have no reports of disruptions on the set or major conflicts. It is a happy, informal set.

Ellin nodded when I told him how I was struck by the relaxed nature of the “Entourage” atmosphere. That is also by design, he emphasized. The key is working with “grounded people who don’t get sucked in” by the fast lane of Hollywood.