Why Entourage Star Adrian Grenier Disappeared From Hollywood

Four friends trying to find their ways through the horrors and parties of Hollywood pretty much sums up HBO's "Entourage." The entertainment industry satire served as escapist fun for many, despite several moments that have aged poorly, and at the heart of the series was Adrian Grenier as Vincent Chase. He's the face of the operation, an actor who wants to bring his childhood friends on his journey to the top of the A-list. 

However, there's an irony in the fact that Vincent Chase is a Hollywood heartthrob who achieves massive levels of success, even starring in a fictional "Aquaman" movie, despite Grenier himself not getting much work outside of "Entourage." Of course, fans might also remember him from playing Andy's (Anne Hathaway) boyfriend in "The Devil Wears Prada," but it seems Grenier has a new calling these days. 

He's one of many actors who walked away from Hollywood at the peak of their careers. You may not see him on your screen much these days — unless you regularly binge-watch "Entourage" — but rest assured, he seems to be living his best life away from the glitz and glamor. Instead, he's spending a lot of time around farmland grass, and the animal entourage that prefers it. 

"Entourage" ran for eight seasons from 2004 to 2011, and it received a theatrically-released film to catch up with the characters in 2015. For Adrian Grenier, Vince Chase was the kind of role most actors dream of getting so that they can do whatever they want after. Mostly so they can stop playing characters like "Teen in Van" (Grenier's character in Steven Spielberg's "A.I. Artificial Intelligence"). Not to mention hanging out with other celebrities via a ton of copious cameos on "Entourage." And while Grenier did act occasionally in other projects, his attention soon turned toward efforts behind the camera. 

Grenier always had an interest in taking charge of his own career, which is why he founded Reckless Productions in 2001. At the height of popularity for "Entourage," Grenier also launched a new TV series called "Alter Eco," where he talks to individuals invested within environmental movements. He also got into directing, with "Teenage Paparazzo" serving as an intriguing companion piece to "Entourage," as it chronicles the often parasocial relationship society has with celebrities, as told through the perspective of the paparazzi.

Many of the other documentaries Grenier has worked on function as social commentary. As he talked about on Strombo, it's where he felt he could make a big difference: "It seemed like such a vital storytelling form. Maybe because I'm an actor and filmmaker, I'm hyper aware of the devices of how stories are manufactured, and there's something so real and tangible about documentaries you can't escape, you can't make it up." 

Learning about how Adrian Grenier makes socially conscious documentaries, it's probably no surprise to hear that he's passionate about preserving the environment. Grenier spoke with Modern Wellness Guide about how that passion was instilled in him as a child: "My mother taught me at an early age to respect my environment. She told me to clean my room. And as I grew up, my room became my neighborhood, and eventually my neighborhood became the planet. She instilled a consciousness in me that never really left."

This energy for environmentalism can be found in his work, like with the aforementioned "Alter Eco." But he's doing more than simply making movies about the planet. In 2011, he launched a platform called SHFT alongside movie producer Peter Glatzer. Through SHFT, users learn about organizations that make more environmentally-friendly products, like items that charge themselves via solar power. The goal is to get people to think more about what exactly they're buying and to make simple changes to their lifestyle that are easier to maintain in the long run. 

In 2017, Grenier was recognized as a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for his ecological efforts. This includes founding The Lonely Whale Foundation, which aims to get plastic out of the ocean. Whether it's through his art or through initiatives that go unnoticed by most in the general public, Grenier doesn't go green as a passing hobby. This is a lifelong effort. 

Breakups are hard. No one likes being rejected by someone they care about, but for Adrian Grenier, one breakup forced him to take a good, hard look at his life and see what he was doing wrong.

In 2024, Grenier was a guest on "The Dr. Jordan B. Peterson Podcast," and he spoke about one breakup that was particularly tough for him. "It wasn't until I was in my 40s and the love of my life, who I was dating at the time, she dumped me," he explained. "In no uncertain terms, said, 'You are the worst.'" We can surmise that the "love of my life" Grenier is referring to here is his future wife, Jordan Roemmele. The two were first seen together in 2017, which is when Grenier would've been 41 years old, as per the anecdote, so it seems like the two hit a rough patch. 

Grenier gave up a lot during this period of self-reflection, including alcohol and sex. He also wanted to take a step back from acting, as he continued, "I quit acting during this period. I called my agent and I said, 'I need some time to figure some stuff out.'" The late 2010s are when Grenier's acting gigs start drying up, appearing on "Miles From Tomorrowland" in 2017 and a single movie, "Affairs of State," in 2018. Whatever journey Grenier went on must have worked, because he and Roemmele got back together by 2020. He posted a photo of the two of them together on Instagram in December of that year. 

Between occasional producing work and a plethora of environmental initiatives and agencies under his belt, one might assume Adrian Grenier would be booked solid. But he had enough time in his schedule to launch another endeavor in 2022 — Earth Speed Media. 

Considering he had a foothold in both popular culture and earth-friendly initiatives, it only made sense to combine the two. On social media, Earth Speed uploads mostly documentary-style videos that see Grenier learning more about how people can do more to keep the planet habitable. There are plenty of videos on YouTube as well as clips of Grenier speaking with farmers and professionals in various fields. But he hasn't forgotten his Hollywood roots, as he's brought his "Entourage" co-stars Kevin Dillon, Kevin Connolly, and Doug Ellin onto the channel to talk about the underrated Hollywood dramedy that's currently streaming on HBO Max. 

Thanks to YouTube, it's easier than ever for anyone to make a video and get it seen by thousands of people. It beats trying to find distribution through normal studio channels, so it's easy for "Entourage" fans to stay abreast of what Grenier's up to these days. 

Hollywood isn't for the faint of heart. There's no shortage of showbiz scandals that show how manipulative certain individuals can be, and for Adrian Grenier, he wanted to get out.

He did an interview with Austin Life magazine where he described the alienating process of performing. "Acting is a dissociative experience where you don't even know if you're doing it right — you need a director to tell you," Grenier stated. "It's a mask-wearing process — you're not even you, you're just playing!" He continued that it was his environmental work that really got him to see what he wanted more clearly. He didn't want to just talk about living green but actually doing so in a way that mattered. 

In a way, Grenier embodies Vincent Chase's personality in real life. Despite being the A-list star of the group, Vince was always laid back and never stressed too much about the chaos happening around him. You almost got the sense he'd be happy doing anything, even if he didn't make it in Hollywood. The same could apply to Grenier wanting to live life on his own terms. 

Going back to Adrian Grenier's personal life, he and Jordan Roemmele seemingly got back together in 2020 and moved to Austin, Texas. The city allowed Grenier to get out of the hustle and bustle of Hollywood while Roemmele could attend school for acupuncture. The two eventually married in true Vince Chase fashion.

The pair were vacationing in Morocco with friends in 2022. Without any prior planning, they decided right then and there to take a leap of faith. Grenier told People, "We embraced the serendipity of the moment and made the decision to tie the knot — literally, we didn't have rings so used string for rings." If this all sounds familiar, it's pretty much exactly what Vince did in the series finale of "Entourage" where he makes a spontaneous decision to marry Sophia (Alice Eve) in Paris and rounds up his boys to celebrate with him. 

Shortly after their surprise wedding, the two welcomed their first son in 2023. In 2025, they had a second son, and it sounds like raising a family is another place where Grenier's priorities lay. While as a guest on "Today," Grenier emphasized his family over everything else: "I decided I was going to live closer to nature and commit to my wife and have a family, and have a child, which I'm so excited about."

Adrian Grenier grew up in New York and, naturally, lived in Los Angeles for a while when "Entourage" was on the air. However, he soon ditched both metropolises to make a home for himself near Austin, Texas even before he moved in with his future wife. During his chat with Austin Life magazine, he explained what factored into his decision to leave LA behind in 2016: ""I had friends here, I ran a business here, and liked the pace. Austin is cosmopolitan without being snooty; it's earthy. People are smart and successful but they don't flaunt it. There is nothing to prove, people accept you and it felt good right away."

He turned this 46-acre property just outside of Austin into a wildlife sanctuary featuring an assortment of animals, including ducks, llamas, wild boars, donkeys, and many others. The entire property sounds entirely self-sufficient, as he's also invested in solar panels to go off the grid and grow much of his own food. He's even committed enough to this premise to, somewhat ironically, embrace bitcoin. As he told CNBC in 2021, he believes cryptocurrency has a net benefit, despite the environmental drawbacks.

And Grenier wants to share that love. Elsewhere in his Austin Life interview, he spoke about wanting to get other families living on his lot so that more people can continue to live self-sufficiently. 

Adrian Grenier may not appear in as many films and TV shows these days, but it's understandable if fans thought they may get to see him again when it was announced "The Devil Wears Prada" was getting a sequel. Grenier appears in the original as Nate Cooper, Andy's boyfriend, who doesn't like what Andy's turning into after working for Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep). He's been vilified online in recent years as being the film's true antagonist. He's not supportive of Andy's newfound career and seems to detest her ambition, but a sequel could have given him a chance at redemption. Sadly, that's not happening.

Page Six spoke with Grenier about his exclusion from "The Devil Wears Prada 2," to which he said, "Obviously, it was a disappointment that I didn't get the call to be in the sequel, but I also understand there's some backlash with Nate, the character, so that might have something to do with it." However, he did retain a glimmer of hope: "It leaves room for a beautiful spinoff in which Nate has his own film."

To be fair, it's understandable Nate might not factor into the follow-up. The ending of "The Devil Wears Prada" sees Nate and Andy break up, and we learn later that Nate's moving to Boston for a new job. It's easy enough to say that the two simply didn't stay in touch following his move.

Considering his original status as a TV leading man, it's easy to assume Adrian Grenier completely fell off the map. But he's continued to act, albeit in a much more limited capacity. He starred in the 2021 Netflix "Clickbait" where he plays a man who goes missing after a couple of strange videos featuring him go viral. He even filmed a new romantic comedy called "Always, You" that was made in Australia, so it seems like he's willing to leave his life in Austin at least for small portions of time. 

But for a separate interview with Page Six, it sounds like he's expecting more roles to open up around Texas very soon. "There's $2.5 billion that the Texas state government just put into film and television projects in Texas," the actor-turned-farmer pointed out. "They're building three movie studios not too far from me. I don't see any reason why we wouldn't just continue to film in Texas."

Of course, there's one project that might get him interested in coming back to Los Angeles for a bit. Around 2020, there were rumors that another "Entourage" project could materialize. Entertainment Weekly asked Grenier about it, and he said, "I'm pretty open to anything. I'm pretty focused right now, but if there's an opportunity to reboot 'Entourage,' I'd certainly take a look." That was a few years ago, and there's no more information about whether more "Entourage" is on the way. But if something does happen, learning that Vince skipped Hollywood to hang out around Texas would be pretty in-character for him.