Over the course of eight seasons and a feature film, HBO’s “Entourage” constantly featured cameos including everyone from James Cameron to Pauly Shore. Yet for “Entourage” creator Doug Ellin, one cameo with a personal twist was his favorite of them all.
In a 2020 interview with Cultr, asked about his favorite cameo from the show, Ellis replied, “Having Bono say: ‘Happy Birthday’ to Johnny Drama on my actual birthday, during a U2 concert was pretty special.”
The moment comes in the Season 2 episode “I Love You Too” where Johnny “Drama” Chase (Kevin Dillon) gets tickets to a U2 concert for his birthday. After singing the song “City of Blinding Lights” from the 2004 album “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb,” lead singer Bono gives Johnny Drama a birthday shoutout.
Bono’s big Entourage moment wasn’t a sure thing
Jerry Ferrara, who played Turtle, spoke to ABC Audio about the scene, which was filmed at a legit U2 concert. He remembered, “We were told, like, ‘Look, he may say something. Bono may, he may not. We’ll try. Just be ready.'”
According to Ferrara, the moment was just as shocking to the show’s cast and crew as it was to Johnny Drama. After “City of Blinding Lights” concludes, Bono says in Spanish, “Hey, Johnny Drama! What’s up? Happy birthday, my friend!”
The concert took place as part of the band’s global 2005 “Vertigo” tour. Bono made another cameo on “Entourage” in the Season 6 episode “Give a Little Bit” alongside Matt Damon and LeBron James.
