Quotables

“I talked to Jeremy on the phone, and he told me that he discovered that he had a very high level of mercury. So my understanding is that he is leaving show business to pursue a career as a thermometer.”

Playwright David Mamet, discussing Jeremy Piven’s abrupt decision to quit his lead role in Broadway’s Speed the Plow, citing high levels of mercury. Mamet wrote the play, which will continue with a replacement actor. It’s been rumored that Piven’s hard-partying ways are the real reason he couldn’t keep up with the rigorous schedule of a Broadway play.