29 Things You Didn't Know About Suits
Meghan Markle had way more influence on her character than you thought.
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It may have just entered its eighth season, but Suits is still going strong. Despite Meghan Markle leaving the show to join the royal family, the legal drama slash bromance has a huge fan base and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. Here, 30 things you never knew about the series that gave the Duchess of Sussex her big break. Plus, you can watch the first seven seasons of the show free with Amazon Prime. Ready, set, binge.
The series originally had a different title.
Before it debuted on USA Network, Suits originally had the title A Legal Mind, per The Hollywood Reporter. Presumably, this was a nod to lead character Mike Ross's natural ability to understand and practice law.
Jessica was originally a male character.
Gina Torres' Jessica Pearson was originally meant to be another male character at the law firm. However, as Torres told Metro in February 2014, "Jessica was conceived as a man–but here I am, a black woman in a world of white men." The genius casting completely changed the show's dynamic, placing several fierce female characters at its center.
Only the pilot was shot in New York.
Though Suits is set in New York, almost all the episodes were shot in Toronto. In fact, only the pilot episode of the show was shot entirely on location in New York City, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Production then permanently moved to Toronto. Watch all seasons free with Amazon Prime
The show was originally set on Wall Street.
The creator of Suits, Aaron Korsh, previously had a job on Wall Street, and when he first thought up the drama series, he intended for it to be set in the financial world. Korsh spoke to The Hollywood Reporter in 2011 when Suits premiered and revealed, "I wrote a spec piece that I originally intended to be a half-hour Entourage-type based on my experiences working on Wall Street, but as I wrote it, I started realizing it wants to be an hourlong show."
The showrunner was inspired by his own life.
In an interview with Collider in 2016, showrunner Aaron Korsh revealed that the series was based upon his own experiences. He told the publication, "I worked for a guy named Harvey, I had a good memory, and I had a dalliance with marijuana."
Even though Harvey is inspired by a real character, the premise of Suits evolved a lot while the show was in development. As Korsh told Collider: "I went to business school. I was a finance major. I worked on Wall Street as an investment banker." His unusual route to TV writing built the groundwork for the hit series.
Meghan Markle's love of food inspired her character.
Speaking to Marie Claire in June 2013, Markle said, "My character is a foodie because they know that I'm a foodie. I'm always on the quest to find amazing new restaurants and new recipes." The Duchess' love of "farm-to-table dining" was integrated into her character's vocabulary on the show.
Louis loves cats but the actor who plays him is allergic.
Rick Hoffman, who plays Louis Litt, is apparently so allergic to cats that he has to have "EpiPens and inhalers at the ready" whenever he has to film a scene with one, according to USA Network.
Suits shares shooting locations with Orphan Black.
The building used as the Pearson Hardman headquarters also features in the show Orphan Black. Suits star Patrick J. Adams also guest-starred on Orphan Black, after prolifically tweeting about his love of the show.
Patrick J. Adams filmed his first-ever sex scene with Meghan Markle.
The team at Birchbox went on a set visit in Toronto, where Patrick J. Adams opened up about the now-infamous file room sex scene between Mike and Rachel from the end of Season 2. He revealed to the visitors that the scene took eight hours to film.
Meghan Markle really relates to her character.
Meghan revealed to Marie Claire back in 2013 that she's very much like her character on Suits. She said, "Rachel and I are very similar: ambitious, driven, and always trying to take the bull by its horns." But it's not just in positive attributes the pair align, with Markle admitting, “Maybe that's where I'm similar to Rachel, in that I'm harder on myself than anyone else might be."
Patrick J. Adams hit rock bottom before he auditioned for Suits.
In conversation at the SAG-AFTRA Foundation in 2016, Patrick J. Adams revealed, via USA Network, that he thought his career was already over when he was cast in Suits. He revealed, "I had been fired from a pilot and it was a pretty public firing... And then you get to go into a room and look these producers in the eye and literally say these words to them in the audition: 'Give me this job. I promise I will not fail. I’ll work harder than anybody you’ve ever seen.' Those are the easiest words that have ever left my mouth."
Meghan Markle wore an H&M dress to her audition.
Per Vanity Fair, when Meghan arrived at her audition for the legal drama, she suddenly felt underdressed. Concerned that her denim jeans and strappy top wouldn't cut it, the now-Duchess apparently "dashed into an H&M and bought a little black dress for $35." Luckily she had the smart outfit on hand, because she was asked to change into it to audition.
Meghan Markle's real name is Rachel.
Hardcore fans of the Duchess of Sussex already know that Meghan Markle's real name isn't Meghan at all. In fact, her first name is actually Rachel, which is also the name of her character in Suits. Pretty serendipitous when you think about it.
Patrick J. Adams helped create some of the set.
Adams is an avid photographer, and the majority of the photos on the wall of Rachel Zane's office were taken by him in real life, per USA Network. Talk about multi-talented.
A Japanese remake is currently in development.
Suits is coming to Japan in a brand new remake of the show. It was announced in August 2018 that the series would be remade in Japan after NBCUniversal made the deal.
Victor Garber was cut from the pilot episode.
According to this Reddit thread, Victor Garber, a familiar face who's appeared in shows like Alias and The Flash, appeared in the UK pilot of Suits as Phillip Hardman, who was meant to be the original founding partner of the law firm. However, his scene was cut from the US broadcast, and he was seemingly replaced by antagonist Daniel Hardman, played by David Costabile.
Patrick J. Adams and Gabriel Macht both directed episodes.
As well as starring on the series, both Adams and Macht stepped behind the camera on Suits, with Mike Ross himself even directing the 100th episode of the show.
Meghan Markle went head-to-head with another actress for the role of Rachel.
Jeff Wachtel, the chief content officer of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment, helped Meghan land her first big role. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in November 2017, Wachtel revealed that Meghan was up against one other actress, Kim Shaw.
In the end, Markle had magic chemistry with Patrick J. Adams, which helped secure her the role. As Wachtel spilled: "They had it right away. It was a lot of fun."
Meghan Markle's Vitamix was always handy.
Speaking to Esquire in July 2013, Markle said that she kept her Vitamix food processor on hand while shooting Suits. She said, "It was one of the things where I was like I cannot travel without my Vitamix. It's like a commercial at this point." Presumably, she's moved the Vitamix over to England now that she's married to Prince Harry.
Harvey's suits are inspired by Tom Ford.
Jolie Andreatta, the costume designer of Suits, discussed how she sources clothing for the characters on the show with TVInsider. Andreatta revealed, "We use Tom Ford suits and then we make suits inspired by Tom Ford."
Amy Mackelden is a freelance writer, editor, and disability activist. Her bylines include Harper's BAZAAR, Nicki Swift, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, ELLE, The Independent, Bustle, Healthline, and HelloGiggles. She co-edited The Emma Press Anthology of Illness, and previously spent all of her money on Kylie Cosmetics.
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