Debi Mazar, 62, has spoken out about what she described as a "toxic testosterone-fueled environment" on the set of the HBO series Entourage. The actress, who played Shauna Roberts, stated that she experienced body-shaming when she returned to work after giving birth to her second daughter.
Mazar appeared in all eight seasons of Entourage, which ran from 2004 to 2011, and also reprised her role in the 2015 movie spinoff. She told The Sunday Times Style that while the show was a significant role in her career, her experience on set became "complicated" over time.
"Season one was a joy-fest. But in the third season, the set was a testosterone-fuelled environment," Mazar said. She explained that after the birth of her second daughter, Giulia, in 2006, she grew "discontented" with her treatment at work. "I'm tough, but it got toxic towards the end for me. And I'd had my second baby and they didn't like that I got fat, even though I got skinny again," she recounted.
Mazar has previously described the set as "misogynistic" in a 2020 interview with Entertainment Weekly, noting that she took the job to earn money and that creator Doug Ellin wrote a strong character for her. She added that when facing difficult days on set, she would adopt her character's persona, saying, "You know what, f**k you bye."
Mazar, who shares two daughters with her husband, chef Gabriele Corcos, now divides her time between their home in Tuscany and her acting commitments in the U.S. Her extensive acting career includes roles in films such as Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas, Oliver Stone's The Doors, and Spike Lee's Malcolm X. She also had a main cast role in the 1993 series L.A. Law before landing her role in Entourage.
Mazar has several projects in development, including an independent film currently shooting in New York, and the movie "The Housewife," set to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. She also recently completed filming "The Last Mrs Parrish" with Jennifer Lopez.