Turn Me On: Interview with Gabriel Macht

USA Network has a great track record for producing quality television. Great shows like Royal Pains, White Collar and Burn Notice are witty and well written and now they are adding another potential winner to the mix, Suits.
 
Suits is set in the high stakes world of high priced lawyers and stars Gabriel Macht (The Spirit) as Harvey Spector, New York’s best closer. When given the task of finding someone new to work for the firm, Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) happens into Harvey’s world. Ross is a super smart college drop out with a photographic memory. The premise of the show is Rain Man meets L.A. Law and it is very entertaining.
 
The star Gabriel Macht took sometime to sit down between set ups with a group of reporters on the set in Toronto.

PANEL: I have a question, Jeff Kirkpatrick with TV Fanatic, clearly watching the pilot, which is fantastic by the way, you and Patrick have awesome chemistry, has there been a moment so far when you’ve felt that, like, wow, we’ve got some major chemistry here?
GABRIEL MACHT: It’s hard to answer that question, yes, yes and no, I mean, like, if I say yes, that could potentially mean that I’m looking outside of myself and looking in to, you know, the two of us, but I mean, I feel and, and if I-, yeah, I mean, I would say, yes and I feel that all the time, when I’m with him on camera and without. It’s hard, chemistry is such a funny word, you know, it’s like, is it, is it manipulated or is it manifested or is it just authentic? And I think, you know, from the second I met Patrick, I feel like we got along and I think, more importantly, we got a nice rapport and if that comes across as like, being great chemistry, then all the better. But for us I think, you know, we’ve got a really nice way with each other so…

PANEL: I’m Stephanie from poptimal.com. I, I was just wondering, did you do any sort of preparation for Harvey, like did you maybe go visit a law firm or maybe like spend the day there?

GABRIEL MACHT: You know, I have-, I, I did, didn’t, I didn’t. My, my sister is a former Assistant District Attorney, in the Bronx, my aunt was a family-, was in family law, my-, one of my very close friends was a top Corporate Attorney in Los Angeles, he’s now one of Gerry Brown’s aids, so he’s an aid to the governor, so he was like, you know, up here. And like my cousin was also in family law, divorce attorney and I-, and I’ve just been around it my whole life so I’ve observed bits and pieces along the way. And I felt like, you know, when I get the scripts each week, I’m going to Wikipedia and trying to figure out what all these terms mean, because all I have to do is really just fake it pretty well. But I’ve been in court, I’ve been, you know, on the jury and you know, I’ve been a potential jury member, I’ve gotten out of that, thank god, anyway.

PANEL: Mo, Buzz Focus. How did you, how did you come to this project or did they come to you, like how was that process?

GABRIEL MACHT: I-, I’ve been working in film for the last 10 years, I haven’t done series in 10 years and I was getting to the point in film where I was getting some great opportunities and working with terrific people and there just-, there, there was just something about the level of writing for the characters that I wasn’t getting, there’s-, they’re out there but I wasn’t getting some of those opportunities. And I thought, you know what, let me start reading some television, let me see if there’s a little bit more consistency in the writing for, for me, what I was looking for to be challenged by. And I read some cable shows and this was the one that I liked best and I went and I met the producers, Doug Liman and Dave Bartis and Gene Klein and, and the show runner, creator, Aaron Korsh. And we just all got along really in like, in the meeting, in the conversation, in what we thought about the character and how we saw the arc of, you know, where he was going to go and what the tone of the show was and, and it just seemed to fit like all the stuff I really wanted to be a part of. And I went back and I read for them and it worked out that they wanted me to play the guy. So that’s how it sort of came about.

PANEL: Hey, Murtz Jaffer from Inside Pulse. Would you say that it’s primarily a legal show or a show about the relationship between Harvey and Mike or a combination of both?

GABRIEL MACHT: I think that it’s in the guise of a, of a legal drama but there’s-, it’s all about the relationships and, and how everyone’s dealing with each other. Something that’s great about this show is that, you know, the characters and the way it’s been cast and I say that without like a chip on my shoulder and like maybe apart from me, it’s like everyone is so unique, you know? And, and there’s just great characters that these guys have all-, that they’re all playing and that the writers are dreaming up and, you know, we’re finding more, and more about the character as the episodes continue. And obviously we see, you know, each character develop, you know, more-, into more even three dimensional characters from the pilot. But like I just think that that’s a huge thing, when you get a great ensemble that has like, again, you know, who are in tune with each other and have a great rapport, there’s something that, you know, the dynamic just is, is-, you’re off and running. And, and, and just to get back to the point, it’s like I think what USA does well is that, you know, they are sort of like, this is a procedural show or-, but it doesn’t-, I don’t know how you guys felt, it doesn’t feel like that when you’re watching it, it feels more about like, oh, what are these guys doing to each other and what’s going on between the dynamic of these two characters or something.

PANEL: I think it boils down to the chemistry thing, you know, like there’s so many legal dramas, do you think that it just boils down to the chemistry with your cast?

GABRIEL MACHT: I think it-, I think, I mean, I think there’s a-, I don’t think it-, I don’t think that’s the bottom line. But I think-, you know what, I think what’s great about our show is that it feels, for lack of a better word, like-, look it’s a miracle to have anything be really great, right? And like I’ve been in a bunch of movies and some of them have been great but like it’s, it’s like a-, you know, when-, it’s like when you have a baby, it’s a miracle when you have a child and so like if, if something comes out that like all great and, and this is a-, really good show, you know, it’s like almost like it’s a miracle so-, and that has something to do with everything from down the line, from the writing to the direction, to the, to the design.

PANEL: Or are you just saying Patrick’s your baby?

GABRIEL MACHT: Yeah, I think we’re all the baby of Aaron Korsh. Yeah, I don’t know.

PANEL: This is Tiffany from TV Addict. Maybe you can talk a little bit about what inspired your character, Harvey to actually build this house of cards? Was there a tipping point that caused him to suddenly go, I’m going to make this decision to do something completely unethical but it sounds fun?

GABRIEL MACHT: That’s a good question. You know what, it’s funny, I haven’t really thought about that. I-, you know, it’s hard when you do a pilot, you try and come up with whatever back-story you can but it’s the first one and, you know, it’s like some people have a little of back-story but it’s-, sometimes it just not in the writing. So as we go through the episodes, we’re going to see a little bit more, a little bit more, a little bit more. Now, my character’s definitely layered and comes off as like a read hard ass, real tough but I think underneath, he’s really fair. And when he, you know, when he’s dealing in a case or when he’s dealing with, Mike or he’s dealing with any of the other characters, he’s, he’s, I think, morally in line with what’s right. Now, he made this choice, now, I think that choice is something from like-, I think he’s just sort of bored with, you know, the, the young associates all coming out of Harvard and having to be, you know stipulated as Harvard and with no street smarts, nobody’s got any sort of balls, for lack of word-, a better word, I think.

PANEL: Do you think boredom drove him to go, I’m going to do something…

GABRIEL MACHT: I…

PANEL: …totally insane?

GABRIEL MACHT: I think so, yeah. And I think he knows he’s on a television show. You know what…

PANEL: In his own mind.

GABRIEL MACHT: …yeah, no, I’m joking. But, but I, I think, you know, great characters take big risks and I think that’s part of like what works about this show is that he, he, he makes this like grand, you know, risk of using a guy, who’s brilliant and has street smarts but doesn’t have a law degree. And he’s-, just figures, you know what, he’ll figure it out. I think-, I think Harvey thinks that he’s the smartest guy in the room, always and he’s won every single case thus far, so, I mean, hopefully we’ll see, maybe, maybe he loses a case this season or next season and, and what does that do to him, how, how does that penetrate his, his armour?

PANEL: So it’s not so much boredom that’s gamesmanship he wants a challenge?

GABRIEL MACHT: I think it’s a challenge, I think he’s, I think he’s up for a challenge at every quest, you know, at every-, yeah.

PANEL: So to him, this might be the ultimate game?

GABRIEL MACHT: Could be. But he-, but I also think like when he opens the door and he sees in that waiting room, a bunch of jack-offs, you know, sorry, he, he just figures like, why not this kid, you know? And the guy’s got heart and I think he also, I think there’s something about Harvey, who underneath, he knows he’s got a lot of heart and you don’t necessarily see so much of that in first-, in the pilot. But I think he sees a younger him sitting there and I think he has run into a bunch of problems, early on, that we don’t know about. And so I think he sees himself in Mike and I think he-, I think there is something about Mike, that’s going to bring out a little bit more sensitivity for Harvey and I think he needs a little bit of that. So they’re going to tech each other how to be a little bit stronger and how, how to be a little bit more vulnerable and-, you know, so that they can work together and figure it out.

PANEL: Hi I’m Rosa. How far are you guys into shooting and what sorts of situations, can we expect to see Harvey be getting into, like as far as you guys when you’re shooting

GABRIEL MACHT: Well, we’ve shot five episodes, we’re in the middle, we’re in the middle of our sixth. What’s great, by the way, is that, you know, you hope that-, I’ve seen a couple of them and you hope that like the episodes after are like as good as the pilot. I mean, we had like three weeks to shoot the pilot, now we have seven days to shoot every episode. And I will say that it’s like the two that I’ve seen, really match the pilot and there’s a couple people who are saying, like they think it’s better and like-, so that’s like, really like awesome. I feel like they’re on par and it’s, it’s- they’re great. I haven’t seen them with all the, you know, perfect music and the colour correction and all that stuff so they’re a bit naked but like we’re all feeling really good about the scripts that are coming in and, you know, where the show is going, as far as the direction. What type of challenges does Harvey get himself involved in, well, in this episode there’s something interesting, there’s, there’s a merger going on and the other counsel happens to be someone I went to law school with, who was number one at law school, while I was number five. And, you know, it’s, it’s, it’s all about a merger and acquisition but it turns out that the only way that they can negotiate, is to bang each other before they figure it out. Sorry, sorry, no, don’t quote me on that, please. And so that’s fun, you know. Just that they get to-, yeah, I guess, I don’t know, there’s a bunch of innuendo in there and-, you know, so in who’s trying to beat the other in negotiation, you know. It’s all-, I mean, a lot of this show is a lot about winning and losing and who’s, you know, smarter and who’s stronger and all this stuff so there’s something interesting with that. That’s a good one, we can start out with.

PANEL: Hi, Joan Porter, MSN Canada. Going back to Harvey as a character, he a bored wealthy good looking, successful, arrogant, kind of character, how do you make him sympathetic or likeable to like your audience, ‘cause he is, so how do-, or how do you…

GABRIEL MACHT: Bored?

PANEL: …relate to that?

GABRIEL MACHT: You saw him as bored?

PANEL: Well, not like-, he’s obviously at the top of his game and successful and like he’s done this-, he’s made this decision maybe out of boredom, but like he’s definitely an arrogant and like cocky successful person. So how do you like-, and from privilege, how do you make him likeable, how, how do you approach it and like…

GABRIEL MACHT: I don’t know if he’s from privilege.

PANEL: Well, Harvard Law, fine.

GABRIEL MACHT: Maybe, could be, we don’t-, none of us know that, I mean, yet.

PANEL: Well, he, he looks like he is now…

GABRIEL MACHT: But that’s-, he does look-, he look…

PANEL: …and he, and, he, and he walks the walk and has the swagger so…

GABRIEL MACHT: Right.

PANEL: …how do you, how do you make him likeable to audiences, or how do you relate to that and want like an audience to reply?

GABRIEL MACHT: I don’t relate to him at all because that’s just not who I am, he’s so far away from me, but, but I’m trying to bring a little bit more of myself to him, cause that’s what we do as actors. Look, he is totally like a hard ass, sophisticated, cares about his presentation, cares about how slick he is and smart and you know, clever, like you know, all of those things, right? I think underneath, we’re going to see as the show goes, you’re going to see more vulnerability out of him. You’re going to see that he cares about the ALS victim that’s, you know, gotten, sort of, a bad drug and is having, you know, a really bad side effect. You’re going to see that maybe the woman that he’s loved for so long, got away and you know, he’ll be challenged by that. You might see him lose at some point, where you’re going to see, again, a crack in armour, his suit, to see that, sort of, peel away. I think there’s a real mystery about him and that is, sort of, interesting, you know, you always want to see the mysterious character and like little by little, I think, we’re going to peel, peel the layers. I think he’s really sensitive, in many ways that we just haven’t seen yet and I think you’ll see those moments along the way with Mike, with Jessica, with Louis, who’s a complete-, just-, they’re at odds. You know, you’re going to see him just ride Louis and then all of the sudden you’re going to see that maybe, Louis’ insecurity hits home and you’re going to see how he’s like, okay, I understand. I find that to be really challenging and, and interesting and I really think that that’s where the arc is going.

PANEL: You said something a minute ago about the, the one that got away?

GABRIEL MACHT: What’s that?

PANEL: You said something about the woman that got away…

GABRIEL MACHT: Yeah.

PANEL: …you know, possibly? In, in-, when I was watching the pilot, I detected this kind of connection between, Harvey and Jessica, do you think that there was any type of a relationship in the past or is it all just strictly been professional, between them?

GABRIEL MACHT: You know, I think-, what I think-, and this may be different than the writers and I’m not creating this thing but what I think it was is that he was, sort of, like a scrapper early on. And somehow got into the mail room and wasn’t even a lawyer, didn’t like think about going to law school but he was like-, he was really and quick on his feet. And he got into the mail room and she saw that and she like put him on her desk or something, when she was rising up. And, you know, I think she started mentoring him, so as she’s mentoring me, it’s sort of a mirror of like I’m mentoring Mike. And I think what happened was that she put me through law school, she’s like, you know what, this kids should be a lawyer, I’m going to put-, I don’t think there was a sexual thing going on with the two of us but I think I look up to her, I respect her and I’ve got to fall in line with her because she gave me my shot, she basically like took me and you know, believed in me and so. I think that part of like how he’s so like put together, is that, I think he did meet some woman, who like taught him about all that stuff and like helped him design his apartment and like helped him with his style and he became like, aware of fashion and like got really like into it for a little while and then she got away. And I think he’s just like, you know what, I’m just going to play the field and have some fun until I find someone who is that woman again or whatever or maybe she comes back, whoever-, you know, who knows. And so, that’s sort of how I see his like connection with women and with Jessica.