“It was a lot of fun, until it wasn’t,” the actress divulged.”It was a lot of fun, until it wasn’t,” the actress divulged.
Debi Mazar claims the set of “Entourage” became “toxic” for her after she gained weight following the birth of her second daughter.
“In the third season, the set was a testosterone-fueled environment,” Mazar told the Sunday Times.
“I’m tough, but it got toxic towards the end for me,” she claimed.
The actress, who played publicist Shauna Roberts throughout the show’s eight-season run, recalled the alleged reaction from her co-workers when after returned to set following her maternity leave.
“I’d had my second baby and they didn’t like that I got fat, even though I got skinny again,” Mazer claimed, without specifically naming who made her feel uncomfortable about her body.
“It was complicated because I’m outspoken and never held back my discontent. But I always was professional and I’m grateful I was on it.”
The “Goodfellas” star noted that filming the first season of the HBO comedy series was a “joy-fest.”
However, Mazar added, “It was a lot of fun, until it wasn’t.”
“Entourage” chronicles the acting career of Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier), a young movie star trying to make it in Los Angeles with his group of loyal friends from Queens, New York.
Vincent brought with him his manager Eric “E” Murphy (Kevin Connolly), half-brother Johnny “Drama” Chase (Kevin Dillon) and their friend Turtle (Jerry Ferrara).
The show was created and largely written by Doug Ellin. Mark Wahlberg and Stephen Levinson served as the executive producers, and its premise is loosely based on Wahlberg’s experiences as an up-and-coming film star.
“Entourage” premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004, and the series finale aired on September 11, 2011.
Mazar’s character Shauna Roberts is Vincent’s publicist. After appearing as a recurring guest star in Season 1, her character was upgraded to the main cast. She also reprised her role in the 2015 movie.
The show, notably, portrayed a raw depiction of toxic masculinity, casual misogyny and the indulgent boys-club of Hollywood.
According to Mazar, the fictional characters in the show were not too far off from what she experienced behind-the-scenes.
In 2024, she told Entertainment Weekly that the set was oftentimes “misogynistic.”
“With TV, you don’t know what they’re going to write. I took a job to make money. I mean, [creator Doug Ellin] wrote a really strong character, but that set was very testosterone-driven and misogynistic.”
She admitted to having particularly hard days on the set, but when she did she would “just go into Shauna mode, and go ‘You know what, f—k you bye.’”
Page Six has reached out to HBO, as well as Mazar’s co-stars, for comment.
