A few months ago, actor Jeremy Piven abandoned his contractual obligations on the Broadway revival of David Mamet‘s “Speed-the-Plow.” His silly-sounding excuse was that he’d been eating an exclusively sushi diet and got mercury poisoning, a claim that medical experts consider dubious at best.
“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.
Piven is said to have a note from his doctor in the form of a blood test, which allegedly supports his case. But according to the show’s producers, Piven had been taking steps to leave the show prior to complaining of any sickness.
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.
I have a feeling that the sushi excuse won’t pan out and that Piven’s in some trouble, but we’ll all have to wait and see how this all ends.
