Mary J. Blige on Entourage HBO (2007)

Mary J. Blige on Entourage (2007)

Show: Entourage | Network: HBO | Year: 2007 | Season 4

When a show is at the peak of its cultural relevance and they call you to come guest star as yourself, that means something. Entourage was that show in 2007. HBO's hit comedy about a young movie star and his crew from Queens was the show everyone was watching. And Mary J. Blige walked in and held the room like only she can.

About Entourage

Entourage followed fictional movie star Vincent Chase and his entourage of friends navigating Hollywood. It was famous for its celebrity cameos — real stars playing versions of themselves in fictional situations. The show captured the energy of early 2000s Hollywood fame culture better than almost anything else on television at the time.

Mary as Herself

In her episode Mary played herself as a high-powered R&B singer-songwriter. The show previewed a snippet of Grown Woman Complex from her upcoming album Growing Pains. Even in a cameo playing a version of herself Mary brought genuine star power to every scene. There is something about the way she carries herself that commands attention whether she is playing a character or just being Mary.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4oP8tiOwEs

Playing Yourself Is Harder Than It Looks

I want to take a moment to say something that does not get said enough: playing yourself on a scripted television show is genuinely difficult. You have to be natural while performing. You have to react to fictional situations with real responses. You have to maintain your real-life persona while also serving the story of the episode. Mary did all of that with complete ease. That ease is a skill.

Entourage is a fun footnote in her acting story. But it also shows that even when the ask was simply to be Mary J. Blige, she showed up fully and made it worth watching.

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