Born on Dec. 10, 1977 to Jewish parents of Moroccan descent, Chriqui (pronounced “Shreeky”) moved with her family from Montreal to Toronto at an early age, spending her childhood in the suburb of Unionville. The acting bug bit after she was cast in a local theater production at age seven, and by 10, she logged her first job in a Canadian commercial for McDonald’s. Guest roles in several Canadian-produced and lensed television productions soon followed, including “Forever Knight” (USA, 1992-96) and “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” (Nickelodeon, 1992-96).
By the mid 1990s, she had relocated to Vancouver to take advantage of the wealth of film productions there. Her first major Hollywood film role came in 1999 with a supporting turn in the goofball comedy “Detroit Rock City,” which was quickly followed by the popular Nickelodeon big-screen kids’ flick “Snow Day” (2000). Chriqui next shot scenes for three major film and television productions – Steven Spielberg’s “A.I.” (2001), Todd Solondz’s “Storytelling” (2001), and the series “Manchester Prep” (1999). In all three cases, Chriqui’s scenes were left on the cutting room floor, though her footage was used in the trailer for “Cruel Intentions 2,” which became the final repository for the “Manchester Prep” project.
Despite these setbacks, Chriqui soldiered on and began paying her dues in a string of largely forgettable theatrical releases, including the grim “On the Line” (2001), starring ’N SYNC’s Lance Bass and Joey Fatone, as well as the wretched horror flick “Wrong Turn” (2003). In 2005, she witnessed a turn in fortune in regard to the quality of her projects – an appearance as herself on HBO’s short-lived improvisational series “Unscripted” (2005) was followed by a two-episode turn on “The O.C.,” and roles in four motion pictures, including the little-seen comedy “Waiting…” with Ryan Reynolds, and “In the Mix,” which starred R&B sensation Usher (in an amusing scene from the latter, Chriqui is seen giving him dance lessons).
When Chriqui returned to HBO the second time, it was for a much more auspicious occasion – to join Mark Wahlberg’s Hollywood series “Entourage” in a recurring role as Sloan Mackewich, daughter to Malcolm McDowell’s Terence Mackewich, nemesis of agent Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven). Initially targeted by lothario lead Vince (Adrian Grenier), Sloan took a shine to his friend and manager Eric (Kevin Connolly) and introduced a little happiness into his high-pressure life (as well as a touch of sin after she indulged him in a threesome with her best friend Tori, played by Malin Akerman).
With the success of her “Entourage” gig, Chriqui landed two feature films, including the “Body Heat”-inspired “Deceit,” in which she tackles the femme fatale role, and the comedy “Patriotville,” in which she co-stars with fellow up-and-comer, Justin Long.