Q and A with actor Jeremy Piven

LOS ANGELES - Jeremy Piven is not a cutthroat superagent. He's not married and he hasn't just been ousted from a high-powered Hollywood firm.

In other words, he's nothing like Ari, the character he plays on HBO's "Entourage," which returns Sunday night for its third season.

Piven does have plenty in common with the show, which follows up-and-coming actor Vince Chase and his entourage of New York pals as Ari and other Hollywood forces shape his future. As real-life actors, each cast member brings personal experiences to "Entourage," Piven says.

"It's not a documentary, but there are certain energies out there in this arena that are, to lesser and greater extents, what we're showing," he says. "We're all coming from a place where we have some serious references so I think that lends some authenticity to it."

Piven, 40, spent part of a rare afternoon off talking with The Associated Press - quite Ari-esque: on his cell, juggling calls - about life in Hollywood and the flawed characters he loves to play.

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AP: Does Ari make his big comeback in season three?

Piven: You can never count a guy like that out ever. And if he does go out, he's going to go down swinging, so it's going to be some sort of beautifully awkward spectacle.

There's going to be a lot of shake-ups this season, which is really kind of great, but I don't think we've betrayed anything we've laid out so far in terms of who these characters are and who they are to each other. It's all very true to the world. Ari's got to get back on his feet and he's going to need the help of, believe it or not, his wife and his man, Lloyd.

AP: Where do you seek inspiration to play Ari?

Piven: Ari Emanuel (a real-life agent upon whom the character is loosely based) has a very specific energy and he is a real unique guy. Some of his traits have been extracted. I don't want to get too much into it because I think one of our jobs as performers is to keep a bit of mystery about it, so it's more juicy for you to devour. I've taken things from other sources in order to flesh the character out and make him accessible and human. Sometimes you just have to be present and add your own humanity to it, God willing that you have some.

AP: Ari is the quintessential Type-A personality. Are you? How do you unwind?

Piven: I think you would be viciously bored by me if you met me, because I downshift from what you see as Ari into my own state. I operate from a calmer place. If you don't do yoga, if you don't find ways to balance it out, if you run so hot like that all the time you're going to burn out for sure. In order to jump off and hit those high notes, you then have to regroup and downshift and find your balance. If I told you the way I am it would sound very kumbaya.

AP: Let's have it.

Piven: (Pauses) It's hard to talk about myself. I'm confused. It just feels so silly.

I'm so fascinated with certain actors that have really done such a beautiful job of letting whatever they contribute as an actor speak for itself. You're not inundated with images of them or their summer vacations. I'm just in awe of people like that.

AP: What else do you have happening on screen?

Piven: I have a movie that's actually out right now called "Keeping Up With the Steins." It's about the competitive world of bar mitzvahs.

I have another movie (coming out) called "Smokin' Aces" and it's such an incredible role for me. I got to play a a magician-turned-gangster-turned-snitch. It's certainly the farthest away from me physically that I've ever gotten and a real chance to dig into a character and show the tragedy of a life that had so much promise but who ultimately is an incredibly flawed man.

I find it fascinating and really enjoyable to play these tragically flawed characters right now. They're just the most juicy to me.

AP: Is it hard to switch back and forth from Ari?

Piven: That's what actors live for, is to mix it up and to extend themselves. That's what makes it so exciting for all of us. I don't want to retread over the same territory.

AP: Are you interested in writing or directing?

Piven: I'd love being part of the process more. I came into this late in the game, into "Entourage." The last time I did TV I was a producer of my own show called "Cupid" on ABC. We shot for a season and it was just an amazing learning experience. Then I had to shift into another mode, which is just an actor for hire. I really want to contribute, so I try to pitch things whenever I can. All you can do is throw things out into the universe and hope that maybe, in the spirit of collaboration, they will at least be received in a good way.