From ‘Entourage’ to solo act: Jeremy Piven ‘fascinated’ with new stand-up career

The first time Jeremy Piven took the stage to try stand-up comedy and delivered his first few lines into a microphone, he got laughs because, well, he’s Jeremy Piven.

The Jeremy Piven people know is from his more than three decades on the big screen, making people laugh in everything from John Cusack collaborations (1989’s “Say Anything” and 1997’s “Grosse Pointe Blank”) to 2003’s “Old School” with co-star Will Ferrell.

It’s the Jeremy Piven that collected an armful of Golden Globe and Emmy awards for his show-stealing performance as the abrasive, loyal and equal-opportunity-offender Hollywood agent Ari Gold in the HBO hit “Entourage” for eight seasons (2004-11).

But according to Piven, the Hollywood star grace period he had with a stand-up crowd is a lot shorter than you would expect.

“I would say after about 45 seconds. No, No. Literally. That’s not me being romantic or cute. That’s me being totally honest,” Piven said. “You can literally say anything and they’ll give you a courtesy chuckle and then they settle in and you better bring it.”

For the past two years, Piven has placed all of his effort and experience into pursuing a career in stand-up comedy. And he’ll be hard at work this weekend with four shows at Lexington’s Comedy Off Broadway.

If you talk to most up-and-coming comics, it can take up to a decade of grinding it out in clubs to really find their voice and become proficient at the comedic craft. Between Piven’s experience as a Shakespeare-trained actor (he recently starred in the 2016 PBS Masterpiece miniseries “Mr. Selfridge”) and essentially writing on his feet as a member of the legendary The Second City improv comedy troupe, Piven didn’t have the typical learning curve.

“I’m not saying I’m an exception, but if I’ve been on stage for 40 years navigating the comedic space, that is a variable,” he said.

As Piven has pounded the pavement going to comedy clubs in Los Angeles while visiting cities across the country to do comedy on the weekends, he has made it his mission to embrace his place as a student of stand-up comedy. In the process he has gained respect from seasoned comedians, most notably a member of the “Original Kings of Comedy,” D.L. Hughley. He said his comedy features a range of styles and approaches from impressions to storytelling to observational humor with plenty of Piven panache.

“Whatever I’m doing is whatever is authentic to me and my voice and what I think is funny,” he said. “I’m loving it...and I think for all the right reasons.”

As far as observations go, anyone who has observed Piven’s personal and professional life in recent years knows both are in a state of uncertainty. But he’s more than willing to touch on it in front of a live crowd, whether it’s the fact that he’s still single (“It’s not cute anymore,” he said) or recent allegations of sexual assault (which Piven vehemently denies) resulting in the cancellation of his CBS series “Wisdom of the Crowd” (“I’ve been married to my work and my work decided to see other people,” he jokes).

Piven learned what it would be like to juggle his acting and stand-up life. During the filming of the independent film “Crabs in a Bucket” starring Academy Award-nominated actor Bruce Dern and Taryn Manning (“Orange is the New Black”), Piven would shoot in New Jersey before popping over to do stand-up sets in New York. It reminded the 54-year-old actor that he wasn’t a kid again, even if he had a kid’s enthusiasm for his newfound love.

“I think this wasn’t some little hobby that I was exploring and was cute and was done with it. This was something I was fascinated by and it was addictive,” he said. “No matter where I’m at, I’ll continue to do stand-up.”

As far as goals for Jeremy Piven: the stand-up comedian, he hasn’t ruled out doing exploring other avenues to get his voice and his comedy out there, whether it be a podcast or a stand-up special. But right now, he’s enjoying dedicating himself to the process, writing every day, popping in at L.A.’s Laugh Factory to try out material, getting his reps in.

As an actor, he’s less inclined to plan ahead and more prone to being in the moment. As far as moments go for him, this is a creatively fulfilling, challenging and inspiring one he said.

“One of the main things I’ve learned is to not regret the journey no matter how much you want things to be different. You’ve got to embrace things where you’re at,” he said. “If I take it seriously and really study the form, my background will be unique. My contribution will be unique if I really stay after it.”

Jeremy Piven

Where: Comedy Off Broadway, 161 Lexington Green Circle

When: 7:15 and 9:45 p.m. Nov. 15 and 16

Tickets: $30 reserved seating, $70 VIP with meet-and-greet

Info: 859-271-5653; Comedyoffbroadway.com