| Turtle | |
|---|---|
| Entourage character | |
| Portrayed by | Jerry Ferrara |
| Information | |
| Occupation | Driver, Personal Assistant to Vincent Chase |
| Significant other(s) |
Jamie-Lynn Sigler (ex-girlfriend) Alex (ex-girlfriend) |
| Relatives | Mother, Cousin Ronnie, Uncle Carmine |
Salvatore "Turtle" Assante is a fictional character on the comedy-drama television series Entourage. He is played by Jerry Ferrara.
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Turtle aka Salvatore Assante is a childhood friend of Vince's from Queens. He is the only one of the main characters who is not directly involved with the acting business. Turtle is Vincent's driver and takes care of issues around the house. He brings street smarts and an urban flavor to the group and is a frequent user of marijuana and supplier to the rest of the group. Usually, he and Drama stick together and do their own things while E and Vincent are doing business. Turtle seems to be the guy to find the good in all bad situations and bring a relative calm to the group. Turtle's importance is at times overlooked as his insight and personal connections sometimes solve difficult issues. His working status and questionable looks prevent him from being more appealing to women, which the guys joke about on many occasions, particularly Drama, who isn't any more appealing than Turtle. Turtle loves shoes, especially rare Air Force 1's. His appeal to women changes when he starts dating Jamie-Lynn Sigler, when he catches the attention of a couple of sorority sisters at UCLA.
He is mainly seen wearing jerseys of New York athletes such as Allan Houston and Alex Rodriguez, and an omnipresent baseball cap, usually the New York Yankees. Despite his parasitic relationship with Vince, his loyalty and friendship temper his baser qualities, like working with Eric to protect Vince from a vindictive internet journalist. Turtle has a Rottweiler named Arnold.
Turtle loves expensive cars, persuading Vince to lease a 2004 Rolls Royce Phantom in Season 1, and driving throughout the series, a yellow 2003 Hummer H2 that was given to Dom as a severance package in Season 3. Turtle's main choice of transportation were luxury suvs in the series including a 2002 Cadillac Escalade in the pilot episode, and a 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2008 Cadillac Escalade ESV. In Season 6, for his 30th birthday, Vince gives Turtle a 2009 Ferrari California, and his girlfriend Jamie-Lynn Sigler buys him a 2009 Porsche 911 convertible, complete with "Turtle" personalized license plates. In Season 6, the 2008 Cadillac Escalade ESV is replaced with a 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid. In Season 7, the Escalade Hybrid is replaced with a 2010 Cadillac Escalade Platinum. In the final season, a 2011 Cadillac Escalade ESV is the main choice of transportation for Turtle.
In season two, a CD is left in Eric's Maserati by two friends as a means of getting their rap demo tape into the hands of a music producer who has exactly the same car. When the car is picked up from the impound lot, the tape is played and all agree that it is good. Loving the music, Turtle gets a track into Queens Boulevard and agrees to manage the promising musician played by real life rapper Saigon. He doesn't get a formal office until season four in Eric Murphy's "The Murphy Group" corporation. Saigon received a great deal of interest from several record companies after Vince arranged for Saigon's music to be played by Big Boy on popular L.A. radio station, Power 106. After Turtle obtained representation for Saigon from Ari, Turtle lost his client when Saigon informed him that a former manager had returned and muscled Turtle out of the picture. Despite his troubles with Saigon, Turtle received a moderate settlement of $40,000 from Saigon. His activities after this episode in terms of producing considerably disappear. Turtle is friends with Kanye West.
At the end of Season 3, Turtle is dating Kelly, the daughter of a body shop manager. In Season 4, Turtle invests $20,000 in his Cousin Ronnie's scheme to buy a dying Sandy Koufax's jersey, hoping that he will profit after Koufax dies. However, Turtle learns by the auctioneers that Koufax is actually alive and well, thereby squandering the rest of Turtle's Saigon money and a large sum of Drama's money.
In Episode #2.11 Blue Balls Lagoon, it is revealed that Turtle is Sicilian-American.
It is also admitted that because of him, Vincent got to L.A., as Turtle used to be a bookie while in high school. He paid for the entire ride to L.A. and food when they arrived with fifteen thousand dollars. He shares with Jamie-Lynn his desires to open up a restaurant one day. Turtle begins to attend college in Season 6.
Turtle's newfound appeal to women and Jamie's decision to star in a New Zealand-shot TV series forces the two to end their relationship at the moment. Turtle tries to get over her by getting together with Brooke Manning, a UCLA coed who has a crush on him. He finds himself unable to make love with Brooke, realizing that he truly loves Jamie and decides to go see her in New Zealand. Jamie calls him to tell him not to come, because she doesn't want a long distance relationship with someone she loves after a prior heartbreak.
He now is promoting a tequila brand called Avión with his girlfried Alex and is in some trouble with the tequila supplier, Carlos, involving Mark Cuban. Apparently there is a real tequila brand called Avión.[1] Avión was chosen as Turtle's new business because of Doug Ellin's friendship with Kenny Dichter, the creator of Avión.[2]
Throughout the first 5 seasons, the audience is told his name only once. In Episode 11 of Season 5, he tells actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler, with whom he is starting a relationship, that his name is Sal. Also in episode 2 of season 6 he tells an interviewer that he let Jamie call him Sal but she's the only one allowed.
The name "Salvatore Assante" appears hidden under the boxlid, in the graffiti art, on the Nike Air Force Ones that Fukijama custom made for Turtle in episode 11 of season 3.[3]
Nearing the end of the final season of the Entourage TV show, HBO held an auction for props used during the filming. One set of items was a Turtle Collectable Set, which included a passport with his name being "Salvatore Vacara", evidently his full, real name.[4]
Jerry Ferrara asked that Turtle's real name be "Sal" in tribute to a friend of his who died at a young age. Birthday August 6th.
The Turtle character was based on Mark Wahlberg's real-life assistant, 39-year-old Donnie "Donkey" Carroll. Donkey carried Wahlberg's bags for more than 14 years while trying to launch a career as a rap musician under the name Murda One. Donkey died suddenly on December 18, 2005 of an asthma attack. Donkey and Wahlberg had a dispute earlier in 2005 because Carroll claimed Wahlberg never paid him for appropriating his life story for Entourage. He said all the other real-life characters had been taken care of but that he'd been cut out.[5]
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