Entourage's Dillon Loves the Drama

Real life has been just as exciting as reel life for Kevin Dillon, who over the past six weeks has tied the knot with model-actress Jane Stuart as well as welcomed the arrival of their first child, a daughter named Ava. Now the proud pop has a third season of HBO's Entourage (premiering this Sunday at 10 pm/ET) to deliver. TVGuide.com chatted with the veteran actor the day after the show's Wednesday-night premiere screening in NYC.

TVGuide.com: First off, congratulations on the wedding and the child!
Dillon: Oh, thank you! It really is amazing.

TVGuide.com: How is little Ava doing?
Dillon: She's doing great. She's an amazing little girl. She never cries. I know it sounds crazy when I say that, but she doesn't make a full cry.

TVGuide.com: Was it at all tough convincing Jane to settle down with a guy who plays such a player on TV?
Dillon: Not really. Of course, she doesn't like what I have to do on screen a lot of times. When I have to tell her I have a big scene coming up, that I have to kiss another girl and that stuff, that's always rough for her.

TVGuide.com: Was it nice to go to a real, not pretend, red-carpet premiere last night?
Dillon: Yeah! It's funny, but when we shoot a premiere it feels a lot like a real premiere  except you're doing it over and over again 20 times. But yeah, the premiere was a big hit. We had lots of laughs. And it's great to see it up on the big screen! There are a lot of subtleties you don't see on TV, which is nice.

TVGuide.com: So you got to see Episode 2's "Aquaman" snippet up on the big screen?
Dillon: Yes, we did, and it was great. The director did a great job with that. He said, "I want a little bit of extra budget on this one because I'm directing for [James] Cameron." [Laughs] "Cameron could be watching this, so I have to make him look good!"

TVGuide.com: As an Entourage member, are you enjoying any added "cred-by-association" at night clubs' velvet ropes?
Dillon: Well, I don't go out to nightclubs that much anymore, but I'm sure it's there if I do step into a club. I'm not waiting on any lines, that's for damn sure!

TVGuide.com: Isn't it kind of ironic that Jeremy Piven (Ari) is the one getting into nightclub scuffles and wooing the countless babes?
Dillon: You know, it is kind of funny because you would think it would be one of us other guys! [Laughs] But I love it. I got a kick out of that story [about Piven butting heads with actor Stephen Dorff at a club], I really did. Jeremy's a great guy. He's really a pretty easygoing guy, so you wouldn't expect that.

TVGuide.com: You attached fellas can live vicariously through him.
Dillon: And I do. I do! I live vicariously through Adrian [Grenier, Vince], too. But I experienced all that years ago. I'm just happy to experience what I've got going on with the wife and kid right now.

TVGuide.com: Do you feel like the pressure is on you guys this season, because of all the buzz, because of the critical hits The Sopranos' latest season took?
Dillon: I've heard that a lot  I guess a lot of people have placed that upon us  but I don't feel it. [Series creator] Doug Ellin is just a genius, and he keeps writing these awesome scripts, so for the actors it's like a hanging curveball over the plate. It's hard not to go deep.

TVGuide.com: In a Wizard of Oz scheme of things, if Eric is the brains and Turtle is the heart, where does Drama fit in?
Dillon: I'm going to go with "courage." Johnny Drama is the kind who is going to go for it no matter what. No matter how many times he gets knocked down, he's going to pick himself up and keep positive about his career. He's going to keep plugging away until finally something good happens for him. You've got to love his attitude  it's a great one for a struggling actor!

TVGuide.com: What developments can we expect in Drama's career?
Dillon: Big things happen. He gets a pilot this year  it's a lead role and Eddie Burns is producing it. It's a good part, so Drama's really pumped up about it. But he's a little nervous, too, because he hasn't had a real part in a long time. There's some good stuff happening for Johnny.

TVGuide.com: I like the "dark" twist in Episode 2 that puts "Aquaman's" box-office debut in jeopardy.
Dillon: Yeah... I just experienced a little bit of that kind of anxiety with Poseidon!

TVGuide.com: I'm worried about Dom [played by The Wire's Domenick Lombardozzi], this galoot from "the neighborhood" who turns up in the third episode. He looks like nothing but trouble.
Dillon: He is a bit of trouble. That's what happens when your hometown boys show up.

TVGuide.com: Let alone one who's an ex-convict!
Dillon: Yeah! The way Dom is is the way the guys used to be, but they have grown up since. They're out of that stage, and Dom is still there. For Turtle and Drama, it's their worst nightmare. All of a sudden Dom takes over the driving, he's cooking.... We have to put an end to it. He's in our territory! Five guys is just too many, especially one who's still so unpolished.

TVGuide.com: Any chance for genuine romance for Drama? Or just the usual assortment of strippers and bimbos?
Dillon: Probably the usual assortment of strippers and bimbos. [Laughs] Maybe at some stage they'll give Drama a bit of romance, but right now his focus is one thing: getting work.

TVGuide.com: Compare today's Kevin Dillon to the one from three years ago, pre-Entourage.
Dillon: I'm pretty much the same guy; I'm just married with children now, so there's kind of a different attitude. I have to say, the success is really nice. It's good to have a regular job. I don't think anyone from our show is really going to change, no matter how much success there is. They're all grounded, down-to-earth guys. Now if you were to compare me to 15 years ago, I'm a totally different guy. I was a wild animal back then!