Johnny "Drama" Chase
This article describes a work or element of fiction in a primarily in-universe style. (August 2021) |
Johnny Drama | |
---|---|
Entourage character | |
First appearance | "Entourage" (2004) |
Last appearance | Entourage (2015) |
Portrayed by | Kevin Dillon |
In-universe information | |
Alias | None |
Occupation | Actor |
Relatives | Vincent Chase (brother) Rita Chase (mother) |
Home | Queens, New York City |
Jonathan "Drama" Chase[1] is a fictional character in the comedy-drama television series Entourage and its film sequel. Kevin Dillon portrays his character. He is often addressed by other characters as Johnny Drama or Drama, but is credited in his movies and TV shows as "Johnny Chase".
Fictional biography
[edit]Drama is the older half-brother of popular actor Vincent Chase. Drama has been a C-list actor for most of his career, best known for his starring role as Tarvold in the cult television series Viking Quest. Later in Entourage, he is cast in another series, Five Towns, which scores 16 million viewers on its premiere. He left the hit show after a run-in with a TV executive. Not long after, he was given a holding deal by the network for his own show.
In the first season of Entourage, Drama has not had a serious acting gig for three years. Instead, he is Vincent's chef and fitness consultant, often watching out for his brother and making sure he eats right. His personality is alternately macho and warm-hearted, pompous and insecure. His acting range is limited by a wooden style, but he constantly brings up the bit roles he has played over the years in such movies and television shows as Barbershop, Melrose Place,[2] Nash Bridges, The Commish, A Different World, Pacific Blue, Full House, 21 Jump Street, Beverly Hills, 90210, and Star Trek: Voyager, as well as a national television commercial for the herpes drug Valtrex,[3] and tries to give acting and general Hollywood-related advice to his brother. For example, he helped Vince decide which agency to sign with based on a point system after Vince was thinking about firing Ari. He starred as Tarvold in the fictional science fiction series Viking Quest, which spawned his catchphrase "Victory!". In the episode "Drive", Drama reveals he is a Razzie Award winner. He also revealed that he's directed a couple of short films in the episode "Welcome to the Jungle", after overhearing a conversation where Eric threatens to fire Billy Walsh from the production of Medellin.
He is always looking to capitalize on Vincent's success, which pays off with a supporting role in a film called Queens Boulevard, a bit part in another film called Medellin, and an appearance in a flashy Chinese commercial that Vincent does. Although he occasionally finds his little brother's charity emasculating, he almost never turns it down. While it would seem that he is nothing more than a leech, Johnny cares deeply for his brother and the rest of the group, springing to their aid when needed. Johnny is a member of the Screen Actors Guild.[4]
Drama lands a role as the "older Irish brother" in Five Towns, an Edward Burns television pilot;[5] Burns felt he owed Drama because Drama turned down a role in Burns' successful real-life film The Brothers McMullen, forcing Burns to play it himself. The pilot was picked up in the episode "The Resurrection". After the Five Towns pilot performed very well, Drama effectively resumed a successful career and bought a $1.5 million condominium. He was mistakenly offered a lead role in Rush Hour 3 by Brett Ratner when Ratner's assistant misread the credits in Drama's show and picked Drama instead of his younger co-star. However, Drama still was to coerce Ratner to give him a role as a French bus driver. During the hiatus of Five Towns, Drama followed Eric, Vince, and Turtle to the Medellin set and successfully secured a role in the film as a military leader who infiltrates Escobar's compound in the movie's climax. However, before this, Drama stirred up trouble by claiming to have received a handjob from the film's lead actress (portrayed by Sofia Vergara), who director Billy Walsh was infatuated with. It is unclear whether this handjob actually occurred, as Turtle finds it unbelievable, coupled with Drama's tendency to exaggerate his macho image, particularly on camera. In the Season 4 season finale, while at the Cannes Film Festival in France greeting the large fan base and cult following of Viking Quest, Drama meets and becomes involved with Jacqueline and begins a long distance relationship with her after he gets back to LA. Drama increased his profile in France inadvertently by having sex on the beach with Jacqueline for three hours. In the end, they stop after he sees a large crowd, and his friends and brother cheer him on.
Drama claims to be Irish[6] and Chilean[7] and may be part Japanese.[8] In "Gary's Desk", Turtle and Vincent have their own offices in Eric's company, The Murphy Group.
Though it is never shown that Drama is fluent in multiple languages, he has quoted words in Spanish, French, Yiddish, and Hebrew.
In the Season Five finale, Johnny becomes the co-owner of a Queens bar with Turtle's cousin Ronnie. Ronnie then had the bar renamed "Johnny Drama's". After that, he became a partner with the owner, who had to settle a gambling debt problem.
In Season Six, Five Towns is still filming and is still a successful show. This changes for Drama when he threatens Five Towns NBC network executive Dan Coakley after he suspects Coakley is trying to sleep with Turtle's girlfriend, Jamie-Lynn Sigler. Coakley decides that instead of firing Drama, he will convince the writers to torture and humiliate Drama's character on Five Towns. Drama soon decides that he has enough of his character getting bad scenes and tries to get out of his contract on Five Towns and sign on to star on Melrose Place 2009 after Melrose Place producer Phil Yagoda offered him to audition for a role. Drama had been fired from the original Melrose Place series in 1993.
In the season finale, Drama's agent Lloyd Lee resigns from his secretary position at Ari Gold's agency to accept an offer from Gold's rival, Adam Davies, at the Terrence McQuewick Agency, where Gold was fired in 2005. Drama becomes unstable after hearing of Lloyd's departure. Ari and Lloyd compete to get him out of his Five Towns contract and onto Melrose Place in 2009. Drama is impressed by Ari's capability, so he verbally agrees to make Ari his permanent agent. However, an impassioned speech by Lloyd convinces Drama that he should remain with Lloyd, who is more sincere and concerned for Drama. At the first Melrose Place audition in 2009, Drama fears rejection and has a mild heart attack and mental breakdown, urinating in his pants. Drama then eventually decides that he is an actor and must redo the audition. He does well at the audition, but he is turned down by the network for being "too old". Phil Yagoda then notifies Drama that the network has decided that he is ready to have a series created for him and offers an exclusive holding deal, which Drama had never had before. Delighted, Drama, and Vince head to Italy to film Vince's new movie. His quote is now at least $100,000 (per episode) higher than it was on Five Towns, for which he made $75,000 per episode.
In Season Eight, Drama does voice acting for a new animated series called Johnny's Bananas, an urban comedy where all characters are primarily apes and monkeys. Andrew Dice Clay is his co-star, and the show was created by Billy Walsh. He is also cast as the lead actor in a TV movie adapted from a script written by Vince and Walsh.
Interests
[edit]Drama loves the Irish band U2; his motto for their concerts is "Floor level or bust".[6] Drama prefers José Cuervo tequila and Johnnie Walker Blue. He also likes enjoying "a good steak, a bottle of red, a couple cigars, and some good conversation."[9] He has attended an S&M seminar.[10]
Relation to Vincent
[edit]Viewers of the series are shown that Drama and Vince are, in fact, related. Turtle once emphasized that Johnny was Vince's half-brother and that Vincent thought Drama was his cousin until Vince was 14. On the HBO Entourage web site, Drama is also referred to as Vince's half-brother.[11]
Vince and Drama share the same last name. They appear to have the same mother in the episode "Aquamom" when Johnny calls himself her "firstborn.". However, Drama calls Vincent's mother "your mom" in the episode "My Maserati Does 185". However, this could possibly be explained as him referring to her informally as mom if she was a main mother figure in his life.
Drama may simply be very close to Vince's mother, Rita Chase, due to the fact that the line in "My Maserati Does 185" about their shared father is a definitive genetical statement said in a genuine sense.[12] This means that Rita may not actually be Drama's biological mother, but either his stepmother or adoptive mother, with Vince and Johnny having the same biological father, who was an alcoholic and left the family when both were relatively young.
Rita Chase may indeed be Johnny's biological mother. His line in "Aquamom",[13] along with the fact that "Aquamom" came after "My Maserati Does 185, may support this theory. This creates, what Entourage creator Doug Ellin has referred to as an auto-perspective angle, in which the audience can assume one or the other in reference to Johnny's actual parentage.[14]
During Season Six, Johnny mentions his insecurities to the executive producer of Five Towns, saying, "It could be my own insecurity about feeling my mother loved Vince more than she does me", alluding that Johnny's mother is Rita. It is believed that Johnny was born shortly after his parents left high school, thus explaining the age gap between himself and Vince.
Drama is at least nine years older than Vince.[a]
Doug Ellin has mentioned on his Podcast, Victory the Podcast, that he originally had Johnny as Vince's half brother through a shared father, while later changing this relationship to a shared mother for the episode Aquamom, Season 3, Episode 1. This was done because Doug wanted to have a shot of all four moms coming off the plane together. This was discussed in the Victory Podcast episode titled "Season 3 Episode 1 Aquamoms."Victory the Podcast
Relationship history
[edit]Relationships prior to the show
[edit]- Drama had a relationship with a girl named Stacy LaRosa.[15] Apparently, Drama ended their relationship prior to Valentine's Day, so he would not have to buy her a present.
- Drama had anal sex with a girl named Jess Mancini during high school, and he made her ride her bike home afterwards.[16]
- Drama was married at one time, for nine days. The marriage was annulled.[17]
- Drama wanted to dump Rhona Davies, who knew about it and moved to Australia. Drama had to wait two years before he could tell her they were through.[18]
Relationships during the show
[edit]- In the first season, Drama had a fling with a muscular woman.[19] He ended this relationship because she was too tough for him, and he felt emasculated.
- In the second season, Drama had a relationship with Vanessa Angel.[20] It is unclear how long the relationship lasted.
- In the second season, Drama had a devil's trio with Turtle and Cassie, the boys' driver at the Sundance Film Festival, in the episode The Sundance Kids".
- In the third season, Drama fools around with a female dog owner in the episode "Dog Day Afternoon". The relationship didn't last because of Turtle, so Drama was unable to see the girl in the future.
- In the third season, Ken, Drama's personal masseuse in Las Vegas, prepares himself to have sex with Drama after he mistakes Drama's intention when he calls him to his room for a massage in the middle of the night.
- In the fourth season, in the episode "Malibooty", Drama rekindles a romance with a '90s party girl, Donna Deveny, and brings Turtle along as his wingman.
- In the fourth season, Drama has sex with a woman while both are dressed in animal costumes. The woman makes squirrel-like sounds and gestures, while Drama wears a pink rabbit suit and head, simply going along with it so he could have sex. This episode covered somewhat in depth the "Furry" lifestyle of being attracted to costumes and stuffed animals or fluffy animal-type suits.
- In the fourth season, Drama found a new girlfriend, Jacqueline, at the Cannes Festival and had sex with her on the beach. Later in the fifth season, Jacqueline ends her romantic relationship with Drama due to his obsession with her.
- In the sixth season, Drama has sex with a girl named Kelly who works at a clothing store. She apparently had sex with Seth Rogen when she was drunk.
- In the sixth season, Drama had sex with a girl named Tara, three months before Eric had sex with her. Tara was on a short list of suspected women who may have given Drama a sexually transmitted disease.
Marketing
[edit]In April 2015, Diageo, which produces Johnnie Walker scotch whisky, produced the Johnny Drama scotch whisky, named Johnny Drama, to promote the release of the movie version of Entourage.[21][22]
Fictional filmography
[edit]Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
- | Miami Vice | Cocaine Informant | guest star |
- | The New New Love Boat | Merrill Stubing | pilot never aired |
1987 | Barfly | Extra | uncredited; 3 days' work |
1988 | License to Drive | Unknown | |
1988 | 227 | Building Inspector | guest star |
1989 | A Different World | Drunk Frat Guy | guest star |
1989 | Booker | Dead Body | guest star |
1990 | Cop Rock | Singing Felon | guest star |
1991 | L.A. Law | Mute Clerk | guest star |
1991 | Beverly Hills, 90210 | Eddie | guest star; Donna's stalker |
1991 | Point Break | Stoned Surfer #5 | uncredited |
1993 | NYPD Blue | Dead Body | guest star; Kevin Dillon actually guest-starred in three episodes of NYPD Blue as a police officer. |
1993 | Melrose Place | recurring character | |
1993 | Amongst Friends | Kid in Trunk | |
1994 | The Crow | small part | |
1994 | Full House | Uncle Jesse's Tough-Guy Nephew | guest star |
1994 | The Commish | Bulimic Pedophile | guest star |
1994 | 227 | guest star | |
1994 | Friends | Guy in Laundry Room | The One With the East German Laundry Detergent |
1994 | Concrete Heat | Cancelled after one week | |
1994–1995 | My So-Called Life | guest star; Drama mentions a stunt in which he falls down a flight of stairs[23] | |
1995 | Cornelius and Son | recurring guest star | |
1995 | Last One Left | Taxi Driver | guest part |
1996 | Beautiful Girls | stand-in | Fired for fighting with Matt Dillon |
1997 | Pacific Blue | Officer Ross Harper | recurring guest star |
1997 | Nash Bridges | Retarded Brother | guest star, "Season 3, Episode 7" |
1997 | Viking Quest | Tarvold | Drama's first lead role; co-starred with Vanessa Angel |
1998 | Kissing a Fool | Cubs Fan | |
1998 | Star Trek: Voyager | Klingon | guest star |
2001 | 7th Heaven | High School Swimmer With Alopecia | |
2002 | Barbershop | Customer | uncredited; scenes cut from film |
2003 | The Practice | Law Clerk | guest star |
2004 | Law & Order: SVU | Dead Body | guest star |
2004 | Crossing Jordan | Bank Robber | guest star |
2004 | Head On | Thug | appears with his half-brother Vince |
2004 | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | Himself | surprise appearance on the show with Vince |
2005 | Queens Boulevard | Bookie | small bit-part with Vince; Scenes initially cut from film but inserted back in by director Billy Walsh |
2005 | Chinese energy drink television commercial | Unnamed role | cameo with Vince |
2005 | Celebrity Justice | Himself | Appeared on the show after being arrested for destroying a stranger's windshield with Eric's golf club after an altercation on the interstate |
2006 | Gotcha! | Himself | target of a prank involving Chuck Liddell, in the pilot episode of Pauly Shore's celebrity hidden camera show (a la Punk'd). |
2006–2009 | Five Towns | Quinn | Drama's second-ever lead role. About five Irish brothers who "run" the five towns of Long Island. Produced by Edward Burns, who also directed the pilot. Has shot at least 87 episodes. Currently airing on NBC. Left the show during season four. |
2007 | Rush Hour 3 | French Bus Driver | Scenes cut from film |
2007 | Medellin | Colombian Soldier | cameo; appears alongside Vince |
2008 | Corso (TV series about the life of ESPN analyst Lee Corso | Kirk Herbstreit's brother Tim | minor role |
2008 | The View | Himself | The cast of Five Towns made an appearance as special guests on the show. |
2011 | Johnny's Bananas | Johnny | Lead Role (Voice). Co-starred with Andrew Dice Clay. Cancelled after one season. |
2011 | Tvmovie | Human | Lead Role in Billy Walsh's Tv movie aired in CBS. |
2012 | Hyde | Human | Won Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture |
2012 | TMZ | Himself | Mr. Skin for Best Masturbation Scene |
2016 | Antelope Man | Craig Davidson Jr. | Won Anchovie Weekly Actor of the Week. |
2019 | Game of Thrones | White Walker | The Long Night |
Notes
[edit]- ^ In "I Love You Too", Vince mentions that the first concert he attended was a U2 gig when he was 7, and Drama drove him there. Upon hearing this, Turtle asks how old Drama really is, and he responds "31". Also in this episode, Drama waves an Irish flag, yet Vince and his mother seem to be Italian.
References
[edit]- ^ In Season 4, he introduces himself as Jonathan Chase.
- ^ Drama mentions this in the episode "Aquamansion".
- ^ Drama mentions this in the episode "Chinatown".
- ^ In "An Offer Refused" (Season 2 Episode 4), Drama asks a plastic surgeon if he accepts SAG insurance for his calf implants.
- ^ Drama mentioned this in the episode "The Release".
- ^ a b Mentioned in "I Love You Too"
- ^ Drama mentions having "some Chilean blood" in "The Sundance Kids"
- ^ In "Chinatown", Vince mentions that he has a Japanese grandfather. It is possible that Drama shares this grandfather.
- ^ "Aquamansion"
- ^ "Security Briefs"
- ^ HBO web site
- ^ Vincent: "All the Chase men have great legs." Drama: "You got your mom's calves, I got Dad's."
- ^ Drama, to Mrs. Chase: "Always hugs him first. I am your first born, y'know."
- ^ Entourage Season 4 DVD, Disc 3, Bonus Features.
- ^ Mentioned in the episode "Oh, Mandy"
- ^ "The Day Fuckers"
- ^ Drama mentions this in the episode "Talk Show".
- ^ "Sorry, Ari"
- ^ "Date Night"
- ^ "I Love You Too"
- ^ "Johnnie Walker's Johnny Drama Blend | Cool Material". coolmaterial.com. April 2, 2015. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
- ^ Joliat, Colin (April 1, 2015). "Johnny Drama Whisky - Entourage Character Gets His Own Johnnie Walker Blend". Boozist. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
- ^ Episode 79 "Stunted"