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"Jeremy Piven has defended his decision to pull out of a Broadway play, insisting that his medical problems were genuine.  The Entourage star sparked criticism after withdrawing from Speed-The-Plow last month, claiming to be suffering from mercury poisoning.  However, the actor told Access Hollywood at last night&amp;#039;s Golden Globes that, according to his doctor, his mercury level was six times higher than the upper limit of what is recommended.  &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m grateful to be here,&amp;quot; he said. &amp;quot;I was really humbled by that type of experience and if I were to try to break down to you what it was, it would sound to you like I\u00E2\u20AC\u2122m being a Hollywood punk.  &amp;quot;It completely shuts you down. It feels like the heaviest bout of mono you&amp;#039;ve ever had in your life. You&amp;#039;re kind of crippled from it.  &amp;quot;I fought the good fight, my doctors propped me up and then doctor\u00E2\u20AC\u2122s orders was enforced rest. That&amp;#039;s what I\u00E2\u20AC\u2122ve been doing for a month and here I am. I&amp;#039;m doing so much better, I really am.&amp;quot; Last week it was reported that Speed-The-Plow&amp;#039;s backers had launched an investigation into the circumstances of his exit.  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/showbiz/news/a141830/piven-defends-broadway-exit/>