‘Why Not Do it for the Fans?’ Gabriel Macht’s Real Reason for Bringing Harvey Specter Back to ‘Suits L.A.’ (VIDEO)
Draper. Summers. Soprano. White. Knope. Grey. Specter.
In the pantheon of iconic TV characters, there are some that will always invoke that “Oh, I love them” nostalgia. Borne of our emotional investment and their own general badassery, the fondness for these fictional folks lingers way beyond the end of their on-screen runs and every now and then, we are rewarded with a well-executed return, be it for a pricey Super Bowl ad, a reboot that actually works, or in the case of Suits L.A., an expansion of the established universe that originally created these fan favorites.
Nicole Weingart / NBC
Which is exactly why Gabriel Macht agreed to slip back into the Tom Ford ensembles of his unforgettable and unflappable Manhattan attorney, Harvey Specter. We recently reunited with the two-time TV Guide Magazine cover star for a long-overdue catchup session about his life post-Pearson-Specter-Litt, the original cast’s group chat, and his return to verbose litigation speckled with snark and smarts.
As viewers know, Harvey and Stephen Amell‘s Ted Black share a backstory connected to their New York days in the U.S. Attorney’s office and the 2010 Pellegrini case (a crime lord Harvey put away who blackmailed Ted’s late father after his release). And starting this Sunday, April 13, Harvey is back in action for a two-week event that sees him paying a call to Ted in Los Angeles with some very dramatic developments regarding the long-simmering situation. Fittingly, the whole thing began with a call, as well — from Suits creator Aaron Korsh.
“You know what? He called me on the phone and he was telling me how great [Suits L.A.] was going, and he told me that he was having a really good time and it hasn’t been that stressful and he’s really enjoying himself,” recalls Macht, who played The Best Closer in the City for nine seasons on USA. “And I was like, ‘Come on, what is it? Get to your point!'” he adds with a laugh. (Watch the full video interview above.)
“He said, ‘Look, I think that Harvey was really good friends with Ted back in the day, and stories surrounds Ted and he’s got some personal crisis going on while he’s dealing with keeping his firm up and running,” the actor continues, going into his impersonation of Korsh. “‘And we’re doing this, we’re doing this Suits the LA thing. It’s a universe!’ That’s my Aaron.”
Still, he wasn’t sold. “I was like, we stuck the landing. We did all right. We finished all good. And he goes, ‘Yeah, but look, we will do anything we can if we put the name Harvey on the character. I can make a different character, but what do you say?’ And I said, ‘Look, if it works out with timing, scheduling, my family, some of the other stuff that I’ve got going on, let me see.'”
“And I went back and I started thinking about it,” he admits. “And with the resurgence and incredible explosion of attention on the show [on Netflix] — and the original fans of the show have been such massive, massive supporters of Harvey — I thought, you know what? Why not? If it does work out and if it all does align, why not do it for the fans? Then I thought, you know what? If I can be of any help in being one little cog in the wheel to support this show and pass the baton over to Stephen Amell and the rest of the crew and the cast, maybe this is something that I can figure out how to make happen.”
And in classic Harvey Specter fashion, you’re goddamn right he did.
Suits LA, Sundays, 9/8c, NBC
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