Jeremy Piven has a knack for distilling a place into a single, hilarious visual.
The Gold Coast? “A lush version of Miami, without the douchebags.”
Adelaide? “Perfect if you need to be in the witness protection program.”
In conversation, he’s quick with the quip but anchored in craft, reflecting on decades on stage and screen, as well as his love for Australian audiences, and his latest cinematic adventure, Primitive War—an epic film with a prehistoric twist.
In short, he’s totally Irresistible.
How much are you loving your time Down Under?
Jeremy Piven: I love the weather. I’m from Chicago, and you guys—your winters are like our summers! So, I love it.
Chicago is one of Irresistible Magazine’s favourite cities.
Fabulous. Good taste. But that you guys have isn’t bad. I’m going over the Harbour Bridge right now in Sydney, and I’m thinking, wow… this is beautiful.
Let’s start with your comedy. What was the catalyst for you to do standup?
Well, you have to understand that I grew up on the stage. I’ve been performing since I was eight years old. We would get up and do theatre games, which were mostly improv-based. I’ve been doing comedy my whole life and have been lucky enough to work in film and TV. I’m basically a stage creature that got lucky and made a living. So this is, in a way, going back to my roots. I’ve been touring now for about a decade doing stand-up. I absolutely love it. If I have an idea or want to comment on something, I can put it up that night—and selfishly, get the chance to see who I am without playing a character. As Dave Chappelle said to me,“If you can’t be funny, at least be interesting.”
There’s a strong connection between humour and high IQ. So it makes sense, Jeremy, that you’re on the stage doing comedy.
Haha, I love it. And I have to say—the Australian crowds are the best. I was here at the Enmore Theatre and I really loved the Australian crowds more than anyone. You have to earn their laughs. They’re very smart, very present, and they don’t make it about them. There’s no better crowd for me. I can’t wait to come back.
Isn’t the Enmore a beautiful theatre too? Such a great space.
Oh my God, it’s a great space. I got spoiled. I posted so many pictures on my Instagram with that beautiful theatre. I want to come back and do multiple shows there.
Your latest film was shot in Australia. How did you find the Australian film industry compared to Hollywood?
My experience with Numbered Lives, which premiered the other night, and Primitive War, which premieres tonight – for Aussies – it was just really all about the work. That’s the way it should be. There weren’t a lot of distractions. I filmed in Adelaide for Numbered Lives and on the Gold Coast for Primitive War. It was really just about the work. That’s the dream for an actor—just do the work, do the best you can.
I didn’t want to leave the Gold Coast. It’s like Miami, but bigger, more lush, but without the douchebags. If I could come back here and just work it would be heaven. I was just talking about Russell Crowe on stage. I met him in L.A. and put a story about him into my tour—it went over well! I do my work and let it speak for itself.
What do you believe is the most important thing in the craft of acting?I think it’s everything you just said earlier—training, life experiences, even trauma. If you can be present and access them when needed to tell the story, that’s gold. There are actors like Russell Crowe—one of the greats—who didn’t really study, which is hard to believe because he’s so emotionally accessible. I’ve been on stage my whole life, studied my whole life—National Theatre of Great Britain, NYU, you name it. I have no rust on me because I’m on stage almost every night doing stand-up, or I’m on a set. Most actors sit idle until they get cast. I’m performing every night, so I’m lucky.
Australians are very sarcastic, do you think that sometimes that gets lost in the U.S?
Totally. That’s one reason I’ve been misunderstood in the States. The great Jim Jefferies—Australia’s own—who I perform with in L.A., says sarcasm doesn’t really print. My mom used to say, “You can say whatever you want, as long as it’s funny.” That might sound flippant, but it’s profound—if it’s funny, you’re sharing a truth. She’d also say, “Remember you’re enough.” That’s powerful for a kid. She was a master of giving you a note without you knowing it – she’d celebrate your work – then ask a question. That was the note.
What about favourite spot in Aus and recommendations for friends back home?
I wish I’d had more time! But I would say:
- Cigar Social is an incredible cigar lounge in Perth
- Anywhere on the Gold Coast (where Primitive War was filmed)
- Byron Bay
- Sydney, especially seeing the city from the water. This is my plan for my last day in Australia.
- Adelaide if you want to commit a major crime and need to be in the witness protection program.
- Notable mentions are the Enmore Theatre in Enmore and Hamer Hall in Melbourne, which are two great theatres where I performed my stand up.
What about your top tunes?
Music’s emotional, not intellectual. Zach Bryan moves me. Someone once said they couldn’t connect with country. Okay—you can’t, but I can.
There’s no right or wrong in music—it just is.
Unless you’re listening to Kanye—then something’s wrong. Primitive War is like Full Metal Jacket meets dinosaurs—full-metal Brontosaurus, full-metal Pterodactyl (which is also my stripper name). I think others have tried, but we’re the first to pull it off.
Primitive War
Primitive War opens 21 August 2025 nationwide. It premiered at Hoyts Entertainment Quarter and is distributed by Rialto Distribution.
Screening at
Event Cinemas – Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, plus regional hubs like Bondi Junction, Brisbane City, Cairns, Marion Adelaide & more.
HOYTS – Across Australia from 21 Aug.
