Grenier relishes the self-re?exive

Adrian Grenier is the first to admit that he’s famous for pretending to be famous.

But that kind of self-reflexive awareness is exactly the kind of thing that Grenier — star of HBO’s hit comedy, “Entourage” — wants to explore in his art.

He’s bringing his documentary, “Teenage Paparazzo,” to UNC’s Carroll Hall this Saturday.

Grenier spoke with Arts Editor Nick Andersen about his film, his personal philosophy and his N.C. connections.

Daily Tar Heel: So tell me about this film — what’s the deal?

Adrian Grenier: I’ve been put into this bizarre situation — becoming a celebrity by playing one on TV.

The question of what that means came up and the curiosities became sort of overwhelming. I saw this young boy who wanted to take my picture, and I realized that he wasn’t just a fan — he was actually a paparazzo with a big old camera.

DTH: And what kinds of things did you discover while filming this documentary?

AG: The discoveries were actually pretty vast.
I mean, what started as a simple focus on a young boy became more of a cultural uncovering of a phenomenon that is pretty rampant in our culture.

It’s this culture of creating images and then following them until they actually become something that you put into the hands of the public.

DTH: The diversionary focus of your documentary — starting one place and going somewhere else — is that something you think is common in more recent documentary features?

AG: I think when you put the camera out into the world and you ask questions, the answer is invariably revealed.

And it’s a kind of experiment — the bigger questions you ask the more you get.

Contact the Arts Editor at arts@dailytarheel.com.