Sumith Prasad
HBO’s comedy-drama series ‘Entourage’ and Doug Ellin’s 2015 film of the same name revolves around Vincent “Vinnie”/“Vince” Chase, a Hollywood A-lister who has an unignorable presence in the industry because of his ever-present entourage. As a movie star, he resembles several famed actors we are familiar with, including Mark Wahlberg, one of the executive producers of the series and a producer of the film. The two-time Academy Award nominee is known for being surrounded by an entourage like the protagonist. The real-life actor also appears in the film with his companions. But is Chase really based on Wahlberg? There is no one easy answer!
Vincent Chase is Modeled After Mark Wahlberg
Rather than outrightly based on Mark Wahlberg, Vincent “Vinnie”/“Vince” Chase is modeled after the acclaimed real actor. The character’s origin can be traced back to a suggestion made by the assistant of Wahlberg, who has an entourage comprised of some of his closest friends. “My assistant wanted to film my friends around me because he just thought it was hilarious,” the actor told The New York Times. However, the suggestion initially was to make a documentary series, which the performer couldn’t approve of, which gave birth to the scripted series. When Doug Ellin was brought on board as the creator, he collaborated with Wahlberg to conceive a show that’s rooted in reality.
“Mark was very clear that we don’t want to make a fake version of this. He wanted it to be real,” Ellin told The New York Times. However, they didn’t want to explore the violent past of the actor, who has a history of pleading guilty to felony assault and spending over a month in prison. The duo wanted the series to be lighter and more enjoyable than the real-life history of the inspiration. “Initially, we wanted to kind of go for someone who was more like myself. But we didn’t think that, like, the entourage fighting amongst themselves, like hitting each other with bottles and was going to, like, work. So we wanted it a little bit lighter,” Wahlberg added.
Vincent Chase and Mark Wahlberg Have Several Differences
While Vincent Chase is rooted in reality, several fictional elements were added to his storyline. As mentioned above, the protagonist is not a convicted felon in the series and the movie, like Wahlberg. The differences between the character and the inspiration can also be attributed to Adrian Grenier, who plays Chase in the franchise. Since he is not like the person who inspired his character, Doug Ellin made several changes to the protagonist. “Initially, it started out to be about Mark, as in let’s find who the next Mark Wahlberg is. When Adrian was cast, it went in a different direction. They’re very different types of guys and very different types of actors,” the creator-director told WKYC.
Furthermore, Ellin integrated several of his experiences into the narrative to make the series his work. Since he grew up in New York, Chase became an actor from the Empire State. “It was important to me to make [the setting] New York because I don’t know anything about Mark’s Boston and was able to bring in things that I know from my friends and family,” he added. In addition, the screenwriter was concerned that Wahlberg’s upbringing was not turbulent enough to create the drama the series demanded to be on television. Thus, fictional storylines were integrated into Chase’s arc to depict his dramatic ups and downs.
“There also was the consideration of Mark’s career rise. He never really struggled. He’d probably disagree with that, but he’s kind of gone straight up, and we really probably wouldn’t have a show if Vince didn’t have his ups and downs,” Ellin said in the same WKYC interview. Chase and Wahlberg are also considerably different regarding how the two actors approach a film. Unlike his fictional counterpart, the latter identifies himself as a “preparation freak” who wouldn’t pass on reading screenplays like the protagonist unless it is to work with great directors with whom he cherishes a significant relationship, including Tim Burton and David O. Russell.
So, is there an easy way to differentiate fiction from reality as far as Chase’s storylines are concerned? Absolutely not. Wahlberg has been immensely secretive about the same and does not wish to reveal what really happened in his life and what didn’t. “I will never own up to which bits are real! ‘Deny until you die’ is my motto. Stuff from me and stuff from other people. It’s very different from the real guys. Our stuff was always a lot more dark and edgy. I don’t want to scare people away and think bad things about me. At the core, I’m a good Catholic boy, but I’ve made some poor choices in my past,” the actor told Digital Spy.
The Inspirations Behind Vincent Chase Also Include Tobey Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio
Mark Wahlberg is also not the only actor who inspired Vincent Chase. According to Doug Ellin, the protagonist’s storyline resembles Tobey Maguire’s career, and his character traits match Leonardo DiCaprio’s personality. Chris Albrecht, a former head of HBO, believes that Chase is “more Leonardo DiCaprio.” The similarities between the protagonist and Maguire are unignorable. Both actors had their breakthrough with a superhero film: ‘Aquaman’ in the case of the former and ‘Spider-Man’ as far as the latter is concerned. The real-life actor headlines the indie crime thriller ‘Joyride,’ as Chase does with ‘Queens Boulevard.’
Both Chase and Maguire made a biopic after the success of their superhero blockbusters. The protagonist portrays Pablo Escobar in ‘Medellin,’ like the real-life actor who plays John “Red” Pollard in ‘Seabiscuit.’ Interestingly, both play Nick Carraway in an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic novel ‘The Great Gatsby.’ The similarities do not end here. In the ‘Entourage’ film, Chase sets out to become a director by adapting Robert Louis Stevenson’s ‘Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.’ Similarly, Maguire tried to make his directorial debut with the adaptation of Jo Nesbø’s ‘Blood on Snow.’
The similarity between DiCaprio and Chase lies in their upbringing. Like the latter, the famed real-life actor was also part of an infamous group known as the “Pussy Posse.” The members of the protagonist’s entourage try to make it in Hollywood, just like the members of DiCaprio’s companions. They were young actors who used to meet regularly during auditions. The friends eventually made it big in the industry and are familiar to us as Tobey Maguire, Lukas Haas, and Kevin Connolly. The last one also plays Eric Murphy, Chase’s manager, in ‘Entourage.’ Their alleged love for partying and girls makes them counterparts to Chase and his entourage.
Even though Chase was conceived as a fictionalized version of Mark Wahlberg, he eventually grew to become a combination of several actors and figures in Hollywood. His true origin lies in the truth behind what happens in the life of an A-lister. In the film industry, we will be able to meet several individuals who resemble the protagonist of the celebrated franchise.
Read More: Is Entourage’s Johnny “Drama” Chase Based on Mark Wahlberg’s Brother?
