Hamptons – 2011

Hamptons Magazine
From July 15-21, 2011
By: Lizzie Simon
Original Source

Emmanuelle Chriqui’s Bright New Day

It is hard to believe that the Entourage gang could ever cease to exist. But as Emmanuelle Chriqui, who plays Eric “E” Murphy’s Hollywood legacy fiancée, Sloan McQuewick, is finding out, nothing lasts forever. Thankfully, for a still young actress with more to show the world, few things need last so long.

This summer is a pivotal time of transition for the 33-year-old, who appears on not one but two major cable network series—the second, a guest appearance as Sancia in the Showtime hit The Borgias. She is also starring as Tatia, a Georgian (the country, that is) schoolteacher suddenly caught in a combat zone in 5 Days of War, an international thriller costarring Hollywood heavies Andy Garcia, Val Kilmer and Rupert Friend, based on the 2008 conflict between Russia and Georgia, opening August 19. Chriqui also recently signed on as a Friend of the Brand to luxury watchmaker Baume & Mercier.

In Love with the Hamptons
On break from shooting, Chriqui quickly establishes herself as an unrepentant sun worshipper. “I love the Hamptons,” says the French-Canadian actress, detailing her downtime routine. “Hang out on the beach, shower up, get dressed up, go to dinner—it is the epitome of summer to me.”

That schedule is also the epitome of Hamptons living. When Chriqui travels to the Hamptons, she stays with friends and is just as happy hitting the town (“You have no idea who is up there!” she exclaims) as staying in, where she says relaxing involves playing board games and drinking a bottle of wine. Her only must? The water. “I am a beach person in every way,” she says. “I do not hide from it ever, though I probably should.”

Back on the Entourage set, Chriqui describes the mood as “bittersweet,” citing the well-established rapport the cast and crew—especially her costars Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Dillon and Jerry Ferrara—have created among each another. “It’s like instant magic,” she says. She will miss working with executive producer Mark Wahlberg, whom she calls “a silent force we all know is there. I have watched what he has done with his career, and it is pretty much perfection.” Chriqui has also formed a special bond with television paramour Connolly, who, she says, “has been in my corner from the very beginning. I have been known to call him for advice and he has always been there.” Despite this revelation, you get the sense that Chriqui does not like to gab about the intimacies of her personal life. Currently three years into a relationship, she would like to keep any more than that private, too. “I am very happy, and that is all I want to say about it,” she says, although she does divulge that he is in the entertainment industry but not in front of the cameras. “I like to keep it on the DL so that no one can poke and prod it.”

The Private Life
With privacy in mind, the actress admits to trying to avoid the paparazzi all together. To her, photos taken on the press line are copasetic; photos of her leaving the gym feel invasive. And where her nightlife is concerned, “there is always a back door,” she says. “As far as clubs go, you can work it out to go in and out the back. It depends on what you want.” Worried she may be coming across as critical of other starlets frequently captured on the town, she cautiously adds, “I hope that doesn’t sounds self-righteous or judgmental, but I am private and I prefer it that way.”

Her work on The Borgias and Entourage wrapped, Chriqui is free to take on new projects in the fall, and she hopes to land on another cable series—particularly “something I can sink my teeth into. I want to be working hard, week after week”—before taking a hiatus to just relax or pursue other projects. “I think being an actor, we are constantly in a state of anxiety one way or another,” she says. “But I feel way more empowered than anxiety-ridden.” There is also buzz about an Entourage film, buzz that Chriqui certainly does not dispel: She reports that storywise, the end of the last season sets up a movie continuation “beautifully, so fingers crossed!”

With a career so clearly on the ascent, Chriqui does not need to rely on superstition or good-luck charms. But should she need a place to unwind and contemplate her opportunities, she knows there isn’t much that a week in the Hamptons can’t clear up.