As Vulture continues to hold vigil in the hopes that poor sushi-poisoned Jeremy Piven might one day walk again, the New York Post’s Michael Riedel reports that backers of Broadway’s Speed-the-Plow are considering legal action against the ill star. The production was purportedly just one week away from breaking even on its $3.5 million budget when Piven was tragically struck down by a toxic sashimi and had to be flown back to Los Angeles. And now, says one source, the play’s investors are hoping to “squeeze some money out of him” because he ruined “our chances of making a profit.”
Under Piven’s Actors’ Equity contract, Plow backers are allowed to have his medical records scrutinized by another physician, and according to lead producer Jeffrey Richards, the ailing star has already done them one better by submitting to a full second examination (and we don’t object — he can use all the doctors he can get at this delicate stage in his illness!). We just hope cooler heads prevail here so Piven can enjoy a stress-free recovery and get back to working hard at what he loves best — stage acting.
HOOKS IN FISHY TALE [NYP]
