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 Canadian born Emmanuelle Chriqui talks to HBO.com about her French-Moroccan roots, shooting that infamous three-way, and the time she cut her hair to look like Corey Hart. HBO You have an interesting background, which also explains your interesting name
Yeah, I was born in Montreal, and my parents are French, Jewish Moroccan. My mom was born in Casablanca, and my father moved there from Rabat as a kid. That's where they met and married and had my brother. It was then that they decided to leave for Canada. HBO That is fascinating. So your first language must be French. Does it ever come in handy for roles? CHRIQUI French is my first language. I can't wait to use it someday. Maybe I'll get to do some film over in Europe, who knows. HBO So Sloan has made some interesting appearances this season - people are still talking about that threesome. Was it tough to shoot? CHRIQUI We were a lot more nervous going into it. But then, you know, you saw it, it was really tame. It was really important to Doug (Ellin, the creator/executive producer) that it stayed classy, tasteful and innocent. I think that's what makes it so funny and why it worked so well. There was some nervous laughing beforehand, but once the cameras started rolling, we got to work. HBO What is your take on Sloan's relationship with Eric? Without giving anything away, of course... do you see any hope for them, if they were, say, a real-life couple? CHRIQUI Well there's so much to explore in that relationship - there are a lot of conflicts that come up with her dad and the guys. But they also have a lot of chemistry and they have a lot of fun together. And it's nice to see a relationship in Hollywood that is not as volatile as Ari and Mrs. Ari. HBO I read this great quote you gave to a magazine about when you got your first role. CHRIQUI Oh, that was for the first television thing I ever did, called 'The Right Stuff,' in Canada. HBO You beat out a blonde bombshell who was pretty well known in Canada at the time, and you were so excited, you were like, "Yesss, I kicked blondie butt!"
(Laughs) Oh, that was for Complex magazine. It made me sound so cutthroat. It's definitely been my plight, being the brunette, and I think it'll continue to be a challenge in some ways. But I've also been very fortunate. I just booked this amazing little indie film, 'Patriotville,' that I'm about to shoot in South Carolina. I play a simple girl living in a small town USA trailer park - basically the polar opposite of Sloan. When I went in to audition, I thought it would be impossible for me to get a role like that - I've never gotten the chance to play that kind of role. So it's a real personal feat for me. HBO You left home fairly young to get your start acting. Did you move to LA by yourself when you were first starting out? CHRIQUI I was 20 when I first left Toronto. I was born in Montreal, but I actually grew up in a town outside of Toronto, and I first moved to New York on my own. But I'd already landed a manager/agent back in Toronto, and she decided to move to LA, so I decided to follow her out there, which made things easier. I started auditioning right away, which is a dream, I realize. I've seen friends go through it the hard way. I was lucky to have her; she's been a prominent female figure in my life HBO What's been your most challenging role to date? CHRIQUI Well, unfortunately it was role that got cut. I had this part in Todd Solonz's 'Storytelling,' which was originally a film within a film. But the [meta film] story got cut, and along with it a bunch of parts, including Selma Blair's and James van der Beek's and mine. I played this girl who was obsessed with Jennifer Beals and 'Flashdance,' and she completely loses it over her SAT scores. It was so intense, but it was some of my best work. And unfortunately no one will ever see it. HBO Ugh. That's terrible. Before Entourage, what role were people most likely to identify you with or recognize you from? CHRIQUI I'd say 'Always On the Line' and 'In the Mix.' One of those two. In 'In the Mix,' I play the Italian mafia daughter who falls in love with her bodyguard, played by Usher. HBO You were also in a horror movie called 'Wrong Turn,' which a few online critics are re-examining as having some potential. CHRIQUI Yeah, it's about cannibalistic mountain men, and Stan Winston did the effects. It had its moments. I'm a horror movie buff, so I didn't think it was as scary as it could be - when you're in something, it never can be. But growing up, I watched horror movies all the time. HBO What were some of your favorites? CHRIQUI Oh, I remember 'Rosemary's Baby,' and I just saw 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose.' You wouldn't necessarily call it horror per se, but it was scary as sh**. And aside from being scary, it's actually an excellent film. But I also watched 'Dirty Dancing' until I was blue in the face. And even to this day, if I'm in a bad mood, I just want to watch 'Grease.'
Were you ever a dancer? CHRIQUI I never trained as a dancer, but I'm a big go-to-the-club and dance girl. HBO Do you remember having any idols, or anybody's career that you admired growing up? CHRIQUI My God, I loved Olivia Newton John. Madonna. And do you remember Valerie Bertinelli in 'One Day at a Time'? I thought it was so cool that she married Eddie Van Halen. (Laughs) HBO What about Canadian stars? Everyone always has their hometown idols. CHRIQUI Oh I was a huge Corey Hart fan. He was from Montreal, and I just loved 'Never Surrender.' 'I wear my sunglasses at night.' I actually cut my hair like his - if I could look like Corey Hart, that would've been my dream. I was such a tomboy as a kid. I was really into sports. I refused to wear women's clothing for a while. It was Spiderman jeans. I had an older brother and an older boy cousin I used to get hand-me-downs from. I also had an older sister who I'm close too, but I was a daddy's girl. HBO Did your whole family watch the Entourage three-way episode? CHRIQUI Oh yeah. My brother loved it - he's a huge fan of the show. He was like, that was the dopest episode. HBO Have you gotten a lot more reactions to the show this year? CHRIQUI At this point, I'd say there are very few times where I'll go somewhere and someone doesn't say something, especially in New York. People in New York are obsessed with the show. HBO Where can people you see next? CHRIQUI I'm in an independent film that just came out called 'Waltzing Anna.' It's a sweet little movie shot in New York. And I'm in a few other films coming out soon - but I don't know the release dates yet. |
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