Scenes From The SXSW ‘Entourage’ Party With The Entire Cast And Kevin Hart

Under the kind of tent you’ve devoured hundreds of hot dogs in, next to a Tumblr-branded backdrop, caged within a “reserved” area of one large couch and multiple smaller chairs, the cast of Entourage chatted. Not among themselves, though that happened, too, but with admirers, handlers, producers, models, and fame-seekers. Basically, the kind of people in every episode of Entourage, except it happened last night at Mohawk in Austin, Texas, during South by Southwest, and I was a fascinated admirer to the entire ordeal. Does the Entourage have an entourage?

Yes, and his name is Kevin Hart. But we’ll get to that. Adrian Grenier, Kevin Connolly, Kevin Dillon, Jeremy Piven, and Jerry Ferrara were in town to promote the Entourage movie, which flip-cup its way into theaters on June 5, but also to enjoy themselves. They weren’t doing much of that at first, though. Piven, who now resembles a more stylish Dave Matthews, looked distracted and slightly annoyed, while Grenier agreed to take a selfie with anyone who wanted one (including, it should be noted, my wife). But there was a bored acceptance to his agreeability. So many people have asked to take a photo with him, that saying “okay” is as robotically natural to Grenier as “thank you, come again” is to Apu. He’s a Same Face GIF.

As for the rest of his crew, Dillon was talkative and expressive, not so much with his words (Dillon’s the most like his Entourage character, and it’s not as if Drama was known for his wordplay), but with his animated physical presence, while Connolly was the most likable and charming. He seemed like a generally good dude. Turtle was Turtle.

There were three leggy could-be actresses, might-be models, possibly girlfriends, including an omnipresent, radiant blonde, never more than a few feet away; every time they walked by, it smelled like a fresh boutique. At this point, 30 minutes or so after arriving (Piven was the first to appear), they looked dull, like they’d rather be watching Spoon, who played later that night at the music venue. It wasn’t that they were being petulant; they were stuck in a tent, and would you want to be around your co-workers that much?

Eventually, though, more and more drinks arrived, and everyone loosened up. Piven smiled. Connolly’s enthusiasm continued to rise (he’s a big fan of conversing with an arm over another man’s shoulder). Grenier, who stayed with water for much of the evening, became friendlier, hosting long talks with familiar faces about Sundance and not knowing anything about sports. Dillon stayed around the fringes of the mob, focusing his attention on a single person at a time.

And Turtle Turtle’d.

Then, Kevin Hart, who’s been in town to promote Get Hard, dropped by, and room in the tent space around the reserved area was at a premium. We’re talking butts pressed against legs here. His crew wasn’t large — though he did have at least two members of his security team around him at all times — but the onlookers wanted to see this tiny, tiny man. I now understand why the writers for Hart’s movies are quick to make height jokes, but what he lacks in height, he more than makes up for in enthusiasm. He’s the ultimate showman, shaking hands, taking photos, smiling, generally being the star of any room he’s in. Even when these ladies are around.

Connolly spent the most time around Hart, sharing shots from a bottle of liquor that probably cost more than a South by Southwest badge, while the rest of the guys conversed with producers, agents, fellow actors, friends? I have no idea. I was too busy staring at Piven’s hat, which inspired me to write “BS psychology” in my notebook. I’m sure it made sense at the time.

I left the party well before the cast did, without approaching any of them and forcing an awkward conversation about the Murphy Group, or whatever. That’s what being famous is: talking to people you don’t know about things you don’t care about because your handler says you have to be there. At least if you’re nobody, like me, then no one wants to speak to you.

After all, what’s left to say after this?

#SorryButThankYou