All About the Real-Life Friendships of the ‘Suits’ Cast

When Suits Debuting on USA Network in 2011, the legal drama immediately had a fan base that only grew over the next nine seasons. The series has also seen a recent surge in ratings, setting streaming records four years after the finale.

The series stars Gabriel Macht as impeccably dressed attorney Harvey Specter, as well as Patrick J. Adams (Mike Ross), Meghan Markle (Rachel Zane), Sarah Rafferty (Donna Paulsen), Rick Hoffman (Louis Litt), Gina Torres (Jessica). Pearson) and Abigail Spencer (Dana Scott), who all built real friendships during the show’s run — and those friendships remained strong even after the final episode. (And some of the connections date back decades Suits ever been on the air!).

Actually, a big part Suits The cast was invited to Markle’s 2018 wedding to Prince Harry, whom she began dating while filming the series. Although Markle later left the show as her relationship progressed, she remained close to the cast, many of whom publicly praised and defended her.

Here’s a look at the real-life friendships between Suits honor.

Gabriel Macht and Sarah Rafferty were friends decades before Suits broadcasted

Suits’ Gabriel Macht and Sarah Rafferty at the 2012 USA Network Upfront.

Dimitrios Kambouris/USA/[NBCU Photo Bank/Getty

As many fans of Suits now know, Macht and Rafferty were friends for years before they were cast on the show together. The pair met back in 1993 at the Williamstown Theatre Festival and have been close friends ever since.

In 2016, Rafferty told the New Zealand Herald that Macht was the person who gave her the script for Suits. She said, “I had done a pilot and I was waiting for news on whether it was going to get picked up, and it wasn’t. The same day I got that news, I saw Gabriel and told him. He said, ‘Great, you need to read this script tomorrow …’ ”

She also told the outlet that their friendship was the backbone of the relationship between their characters, Harvey Specter and Donna Paulsen. Rafferty explained, “We had a comfort level with each other. You were able to sense that Donna and Harvey had a history together because we did. Sometimes it’s a little bit awkward, when you’re just meeting someone on the first day, to have that kind of camaraderie.”

This echoed words that Macht had said years earlier in a 2012 interview with Blast Magazine. He told the outlet, “We are really, really, really close friends,” and called acting with her “a lot of fun.”

“We constantly say to each other, ‘Don’t make me laugh, don’t make me laugh, stop, stop, don’t, stop.’ It’s very hard. I mean it’s kind of silly that I’m her boss and I get to tell her what to do and what not to do, all this stuff,” he added.

Gabriel Macht and Patrick J. Adams developed a deep friendship

Patrick J. Adams and Gabriel Macht arrive at The Paley Center For Media Presents An Evening With “Suits” Mid-Season Premiere Screening And Panel in 2013.

Amanda Edwards/WireImage

Macht also grew close to Adams, who played his mentee Mike Ross on the series. Adams spoke about their relationship in a 2016 “Ask Me Anything” session on Reddit, where he shared, “Gabriel is an amazing guy and a lot of fun to work with. He’s [endlessly] patient and carries the weight of number one on the call list with a lot more grace than some people in this business. He really welcomes you into the process and we like to push each other’s buttons until the scene feels right.”

“Everyone has a different way of working, but they’re all consummate professionals and are constantly striving to make the day easier and get the best version of the scene possible,” Adams continued. “And that only happens when you’re having fun and taking any and all ego out of it.”

In 2015, Macht and Adams joked to New Corp Australia that they were fully aware of the fanfiction some fans had created online that put their characters in a romantic relationship. In fact, Macht would sometimes show some fan-made drawings of Adams — right before the pair were about to start shooting a scene.

Macht explained, “Right before we went on screen (to shoot) I showed Patrick some of the pictures of Harvey and Mike. ‘Hey Patrick, did you see this? Let’s go! Action!’ ”

Adams immediately responded, “My question is, ‘Why does Gabriel spend so much time looking for it?’ He especially enjoys one where he dominates me in the photo. I guess it’s great that people are so interested in the show and … whatever floats your way.”

Meghan Markle invited her former castmates to her 2018 wedding

Rick Hoffman, Patrick J. Adams and Troian Bellisario attended the 2018 wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Ian West – WPA collection/Getty

When Markle and Prince Harry got married in May 2018, the actress invited her colleagues from Suits to a royal affair.

Much of the main cast was at the wedding, including Adams and his wife Troian Bellisario, Rafferty, Macht, Torres, Hoffman and Spencer.

The group traveled to the chapel of St. George’s at Windsor Castle and even sang “Chapel of Love” by the Dixie Cups as they rode in the shuttle.

Rafferty later spoke to Today about the big day. She said: “We’ve been with each other longer than we’ve been in college or high school with friends, so we’ve become a family in a way. We’re still a family, so it’s a wonderful family affair.”

Ross, who played Markle’s lover on the show, also joked about the wedding day on Instagram, where he posted a photo of an article about Markle and wrote: “I’m starting to think maybe she’s not actually out for milk. ”

Patrick J. Adams defended Meghan Markle online

Patrick J. Adams and Meghan Markle attend FINCA Canada Fundraiser at TIFF 2012

Alexandra Wyman/Getty

Adams has also come forward in recent years to defend his former costar against allegations of abuse, which the Duchess of Sussex has denied.

“Meghan Markle and I spent the better part of a decade working together on Suits,” he wrote in a since-deleted tweet in 2021. “From day one, she was an enthusiastic, kind, collaborative, giving, joyful member of our television family. She remains that person and colleague while they gained fame, prestige and power.”

He then called Markle a “powerful woman with a deep sense of morality” and a “fierce work ethic.”

Abigail Spencer considers Meghan Markle a “friend on call”

Meghan Markle and Abigail Spencer. Todd Williamson/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

Adams isn’t the only cast member to jump to Markle’s defense following the onslaught of negative media attention. In March 2021, Spencer posted a photo on Instagram from 2015 of her and Markle embracing during a shoot Suits.

In the caption, she explained that she had “known and worked with Meg for years” and called her co-star a “friend on call.”

“She’s what I’d call an ‘on-call friend’.” Ready. She is nothing but generous professionalism on set and even more generous friendship in private,” Spencer wrote.

“I learned so much from Meg. The power of a handwritten note. The beauty of surprise flowers,” the actress continued. “She was there for me — and physically held me — in my darkest moments. … She has always been a safe harbor for me, someone in front of whom I can fall apart… and with whom. I have too.”

Sarah Rafferty called Rick Hoffman her “brother” after the series ended

Rick Hoffman and Sarah Rafferty attend the 2014 NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment Upfronts.

Jim Spellman/WireImage

Rafferty also became close with Hoffman, who played Louis Litt Suits. When the show ended in 2019, she posted a teary-eyed Instagram photo of the pair together and simply wrote: “And it’s a show about my brother @rickehoffman. There are no words for this one.”

While their characters may have been at odds more often than not on the show, it’s clear that in real life their love for each other is genuine.

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Source: HIS Education