The Indomitable Johnny Drama

Every decade or so, Hollywood produces a truly remarkable character actor or character; someone that embodies the soul of the Everyman. An Everyman is an archetype, a conglomeration of all those characteristics we tend to see in ourselves. And in Everyman is not a celebrity, not a star and probably not even the greatest success, but the Everyman has depth.

I started watching Entourage in earnest for the first time this Summer. I may have seen it once or twice before while traveling, stuck in some hotel with nothing but HBO to watch - Entourage though requires multiple episodes to fully appreciate. I found myself becoming addicted to the series over the past few months now that I have HBO again at home and they are showing the entire series 12 episodes at a time on Saturday nights. While the main characters are likable enough, the show truly works as an entourage - in other words as an ensemble cast. The inside glimpses into how business gets done in Hollywood is another fascinating aspect of the show.

What really drew me into Entourage however was the character of Johnny Chase. At first his character seemed a bit like "cheap laughs," the butt for many jokes and perhaps an almost stereotypical comic foil. On the show Johnny Chase is known by his nickname Johnny Drama, the older brother of an up-and-coming movie star Vincent Chase. In a fascinating parallel between Hollywood fiction in Hollywood reality the character of Johnny Chase is played by actor Kevin Dillon who himself is the actor brother of what was once a major Hollywood movie star, Matt Dillon. Perhaps because of his background, Dillon is able to channel Johnny Drama’s character in a way that no other actor could. Dylan has impeccable comedic timing but also a definite flair for the dramatic living up to the name Johnny Drama more often than one might expect.


Occasionally thing do go Johnny's way...

So what is it that draws us to Johnny Drama instead of perhaps the show's star, Vincent Chase portrayed by Adrian Grenier? The character of Johnny Drama character is funny consistently across every episode, but as we watch the humor isn't always that funny or is funny at his expense. Most of what happens to Johnny drama is the result of his various flaws. This is why he's never quite made it in Hollywood despite being there much longer than his younger brother. He definitely has talent, but things don't always go his way and he has trouble coping with that. No matter what happens to him though, Johnny Drama never gives up on his dreams. In this he is like the rest of us, we can see that success just a little bit beyond our reach and we keep trying to get to it but never quite make it. Even though we never do achieve all the things that we dream of, the pursuit of those dreams is what defines us and our self-deprecating humor is what makes us human.

After a while it becomes hard not to root for Johnny drama. Perhaps if he can make it we can make it and even if we don't we can have some fun along the way. Entourage is definitely an adult show, something children and even young teens probably shouldn't watch, but for the older crowd entourage gives us clever plot lines and strong believable characters. At times their little Hollywood world seems perfectly real as each episode interjects a flurry of cameos from Hollywood insiders and faces from the news and prime time TV. Johnny Drama is a likable average Joe, much more likable than Joe the Plumber though, he is TV's everyman.


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