Jeremy Piven --Too Ill For Broadway
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This is weird.
Jeremy Piven, who has been starring on Broadway in Speed-the-Plow, has quit the play due to an illness.
Does he have the flu? The chicken pox? Laryngitis?
Nope, none of that. The actor has been diagnosed with a high mercury count. Whatever that means. According to the Piv's publicist, The Entourage star wanted to continue with his role in the play, but the doctors ordered him to quit.
The producers of Plow issued this statement: "We have been advised by Jeremy Piven's medical representatives that he is seriously ill and is unable to fulfill his contractual obligation to Speed-the-Plow. Consequently, he has left the production 10 weeks early."
If it sounds suspicious to you, well, you're not the only one. The show's writer, David Mamet, didn't sound too convinced.
"I talked to Jeremy on the phone, and he told me that he discovered that he had a very high level of mercury," he told Daily Variety. "So my understanding is that he is leaving show business to pursue a career as a thermometer."
Ouch!
Fortunately, if you already have tickets, there are big names taking his Jeremy's place. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Tony-winner Norbert Leo Butz and Fargo Oscar nominee William H. Macy will be hitting the stage for the remaining shows.
High levels of mercury, huh? Is it he glowing in the dark as we speak?
