Jeremy Piven to Stand Trial … for the Union

LOL!

This is such a great story! Jeremy Piven is in DEEP SHIT for dropping out of his Broadway play, Speed the Plow, due to “mercury poisoning” from too much sushi. Now he has to actually go and stand trial before the Actors’ Equity union to defend himself.

The producers of “Speed-the-Plow” brought Piven up on charges with Equity, arguing that his abrupt departure in December from the $3.5 million production wreaked havoc with their recoupment schedule.

Piven will appear before a committee of five actors and five producers. He is expected to brandish the results of a blood test given to him by his doctor, and will likely give a blow-by-blow account of his illness during the show.

He called several prominent actors on his own and begged them to replace him, sources said. He was also overheard telling people backstage that he was “bored out of his mind” in the show.

The producers also have a record of where Piven’s car and driver took him after performances, sources say.

Although Piven claimed he was so ill that he often went home after the show, sources say the log shows that he spent many nights out on the town. The producers will also point out that in the past, many ailing stars have taken a leave of absence from a show but have returned when they felt better. “Unless it’s a life-or-death situation, you usually find a temporary replacement and then negotiate a return,” said a producer not involved with “Speed-the-Plow.”

Jeremy is expected to appear in person for the hearing in Manhattan tomorrow. “It’s my understanding that he’ll be there – unless he has too much sushi on the plane from LA,” joked a person involved in the proceedings.

Ha!

Everyone is WAY PISSED at Jeremy about this shit. “I don’t think many theater actors are in favor of what he’s doing,” a veteran producer said. “They take jobs on Broadway very seriously, and he’s a Hollywood actor, behaving like one.”

If he loses at this hearing, he’ll be stripped of his Equity membership (but he’ll still have his SAG membership, so it won’t impact his film or TV work), and the show’s producers can take him to civil court and sue his brains out.

WOW!!

Do NOT fuck with a Broadway show, you guys!!!

Before you leave a comment, please make sure you've read our Guide to Commenting. It could save you a great deal of embarrassment.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 25th, 2009 at 1:57 pm and is filed under Jeremy Piven. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.