Jeremy Piven’s Existential Horror Story
Everyone knows Jeremy Piven for his Emmy winning portrayal of Entourage’s Ari Gold, and you probably also remember him from roles in the shows “The Larry Sanders Show” and “Ellen” and films like “Grosse Point Blank,” “Old School,” and “PCU.” But now you can see him in a completely different way. His role in the film “I Melt With You” is unlike anything he’s ever done before, and he stopped by the SiriusXM studios to talk about the film with Ron Bennington. Excerpts from that interview appear below.
Ron Bennington: Jeremy Piven in studio with us. Sex Pistols is playing and it’s a perfect opening for this film.
Jeremy Piven: It absolutely is. The music was so key to this movie. Our director, Mark Pellington, who I’m sure you guys have a reference for– he’s a great video director. He did the only video that Pearl Jam ever did– he directed the Jeremy video. U2, Joshua Tree and a bunch of stuff. I grew up loving the Sex Pistols as well, was a little late to the game with that..and The Clash and stuff like that. But all the music in the movie was playing on the set and it motivated us and was our inspiration.
Ron Bennington: I loved that because the guys are all the same age. And whatever that music was that you listened to at that time of your life…that is music of your lifetime.
Jeremy Piven: Yes. It’s about a group of guys that were authentic, and rebellious and present, and they made a pact back in the day that if they don’t become the men that they said they would become, that they would do something incredibly drastic– that I can’t tell you because I don’t want to give away the movie. They get together every year, and indulge in some heavy bacchanalia, and relive their pasts. And this is the one year that the wheels fall off the wagon and they face themselves, and it gets very very dark. And it starts off very funny as you know, and it gets dark very fast.
Ron Bennington: I knew nothing about the movie before I saw it, so when it takes the turn… I was telling people, don’t try to look into this movie. See it, or don’t see it, but don’t try to read any reviews. Cause I went over and read some reviews, and I feel like it’s one of those polarizing films. If you understand what it’s like to have those friends– it’s the first time, I think, in your life that you go, “this is who I am.”
Jeremy Piven: Yea, and you know what? I don’t see movies where men are portrayed like this. And where they relate to each other like this or don’t relate to each other like this. And so that’s why I wanted to be a part of this movie. Women are communicators and they have movies where they communicate to each other, and men don’t. I’ve had a number of conversations where I’ll spill my guts and my buddy looks at me and doesn’t say anything. And I go, okay, great talk, great talk….and then you walk away. And you know what? There’s a couple of moments like that in this movie. And then ultimately they have to relate to each other. I’ve never as an actor done this type of work. It’s the best work I’ve ever done in my life.
Ron Bennington: You really felt that while you were involved in that? Or did it come after the fact? When did you know?
Jeremy Piven: I knew when I was reading it, and I started crying. When I got to the scene that you know with Thomas Jane. And I got to that moment and I just went…..when you’re reading a script and you get that emotional, and you’re that tied to it, and it speaks to you like that….even though you know you’re not going to get paid for this movie. You’re going to bring your own wardrobe and sit on the floor because there’s no place to sit… it’s love of the game. And there isn’t even an option, you just do this movie. It spoke to me so specifically.
Ron Bennington: After I watched it, I knew some people would think, well, the move that they made was so crazy. People wouldn’t do that. But what I love about it is, it wasn’t a discussion first. One guy just went off the fucking…you know, jumped into the pool out of the big tree. And then the other three guys were going, “we all say we’re the kind of guys that do shit like that.” And that’s what I thought was so beautiful about that. These guys for whatever reason, have this one code. And it’s kind of a dangerous thing. Now some guys have that in college, some guys in the Army, sports teams, it could be high school. But whoever those original guys are, I think that’s your first real relationship. Those first guys you have some kind of commitment to for the rest of your life.
Jeremy Piven: Right, and so to make a movie about this where you explore it unflinchingly, was something that I had to be a part of. Everything that you just said rings true to me. There are a few guys that I came up with who are no longer around for various reasons. All of our journeys are completely different. I think no matter where you are in your life, if you’re an honest present person who is able to communicate then you’re on to something. Because you can’t compare any of our lives. None of us are at the same place. Someone is going to be more successful and another person’s success will never take away from your own. And if you own that, in this life, you’re golden.
Ron Bennington: And you’ll always find someone doing better than you.
Jeremy Piven: Right, you don’t have to go too far. No one does. Even the most successful people are wondering why they didn’t get the Michael Jordan money. So you can always go to that place, or you can be totally present and live in that moment.
Ron Bennington: Great people in the film, and everybody’s got that place to be, like a great team. Anybody that you felt really connected to?
Jeremy Piven: What’s interesting is, none of us knew each other. I’d never spent time with Rob Lowe or Thomas Jane or Christian McKay who had played Orson Wells of course, brilliantly.
Ron Bennington: There’s something about that guy. I don’t know what it is that he does that keeps you so focused to him while he’s on screen.
Jeremy Piven: I can tell you what I think it is. Because I kind of connected easily to him because we both grew up in the theater, so we both had a similar background. The one thing that you get is the sense that we’re all in this together…we’re collaborating, we’re rehearsing and we’re building toward something. And we’re only good if everyone else is good together and you learn to rely on other people and it’s just all a collaboration. And I think because he does that, you get the sense that you’re in good hands with him. He’s also just a brilliant actor. They flew him in at the last second. He had to hit the ground running with a bunch of sweaty Americans and he crushed it and did a brilliant job. Rob Lowe I had known as a kid growing up watching him as a movie star. I was just in Chicago working for fifty dollars a week on stage going, wow, St. Elmo’s Fire. That guy’s got a mullet and he’s living the dream, how does that happen? And then you meet him and it’s like, “oh Rob Lowe, we’re friends, I already know you, you’ve been in my living room for decades.” It was very easy because he also wanted to do the best work of his life. And even at this stage of his career– still very hungry. Don’t you think that was his best work?
Ron Bennington: Absolutely. I think that he was phenominal. But I also think that he’s gone from being a movie star as a young guy to being a real actor now. To being really really strong in comedies. And when you see this, and he looks beat down and shaken, you fucking believe it.
Jeremy Piven: And I think it scared a lot of actors. They didn’t want to be a part of it. A lot of people turned this down.
Ron Bennington: It’s got that Fight Club thing that if you don’t love it, it’s going to repel you. In a way it is somewhat true horror. Where human beings can go in their darkest spot. Would it have happened a week later? Probably not. A week before? Probably not. But that moment came together and those guys just went…it’s all behind us.
Jeremy Piven: You get it man. You hit it on the head. It is an existential horror story. You’re right it hit that one moment in time where they all took action in ways that they wouldn’t have done. And we can look at it– listen– the conversation that we’re having is the conversation that people will be having after this movie. And how many times does that happen after a movie?
Ron Bennington: It’s very rare.
Jeremy Piven: I love looking at Ryan Reynolds and I think he’s beautiful, and I love his torso, and everybody wins, but I don’t know if you’re going to be having these conversations.
Ron Bennington: And that’s what film is supposed to be all about. Jeremy Piven, thanks so much for stopping by.
Jeremy Piven: Thanks so much Ron.
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