The final curtain may have closed on "Entourage," but Kevin Dillon isn't giving up on his alter-ego, Johnny Drama, just yet -- or at least not when it comes to getting girls. But Dillon may have to rein in his player ways; after all, he's starring in the new CBS comedy, "How to Be a Gentleman." In the new sitcom, he plays a gym owner who schools a client on how to be more manly -- a clear fit for the "Platoon" and "24" actor. If anyone is the professor of manhood, then it's surely Dillon-Drama.
Tell me about "How to Be a Gentleman."
It's got a little bit of an "Odd Couple" vibe about it. I would be more of the Oscar type guy. He's a guy who owns a gym and does personal training. Not only does he do the body he likes to think he trains the mind. He takes on Andrew [David Hornsby] as one of his clients and makes more of a man out of him. He’s too much of a gentleman, if there is such a thing.
Do you work out?
I do -- not as much as I should.
Ever kiss your biceps and say, "Welcome to the gun show?"
Okay, I might have done that before. That was back when I actually had biceps. I did it as a joke with the guys.
Are you sad "Entourage" ended?
I was sad. I’m still sad about it. It was such a fun show. It felt like it still had legs but I guess we went out on top, which is nice, and there’s talk about a movie. The character of Johnny Drama was a lot of fun to play.
Did you cry on the last day?
I did not! Well, you know what? I might have got a little emotional. I was wearing my sunglasses so you really couldn’t see.
Except for the snotty nose.
(Laughs) Yeah that could have been a dead giveaway. The girls got me emotional, the girls just broke down.
Did you get along with the guys?
They were amazing and that's why the show worked so well. The four guys were all New Yorkers so we would bust each other's chops constantly like New Yorkers do. Nobody was too sensitive. That was the name of the game; we would constantly bust each other's balls.
You really broke out in "Entourage." Did you ever feel like Drama, living in your brother Matt’s shadow?
Absolutely yeah. I was called Matt Dillon’s brother my whole career basically until "Entourage" broke me free of that and now people call me Johnny Drama instead. They still don’t know that I’m Kevin but I don’t care.
I've heard you love pinball machines?
I collect them and repair them myself.
Don’t you hate it when the ball goes straight down the side?
Yeah. Well, that’s the thing about pinball. Sometimes it just doesn’t go your way. The tilt is your own
fault. Though once you figure out how sensitive the machine is, you get to learn not to tilt it.
Did you hang out at pinball parlors?
I did. There was a place down the street from me. I just always loved pinball.
Did you chat up the ladies while you were there?
I was a little young for that. I might have tried, but I didn’t have any game.
Now you just say you’re Johnny Drama.
I’m not going to lie; the actor thing does help a little bit.
Did you notice that when the show got hot it helped even more?
I did notice, but I always got a little bit of it because I’ve been around so long and I’ve made a bunch of movies before that. But I didn’t have to use the Matt Dillon brother line. I used Johnny Drama, nothing wrong with that!
What did you think of the Jane Lynch crack at the Emmys?
I thought it was funny. We didn’t hear it because we had our backs to the stage, but as we were walking up to the microphone Jerry Ferrara leaned over to me and said, "I think she just threw us under the bus." Guys like us; we’ll drive any woman to lesbianism. No it was all in good fun. I’m a big fan of comedians not having to apologize for anything. Nowadays it seems comedians are always apologizing for being funny.
