Gabriel Macht plays the always dapper Harvey Specter on Suits, just about to begin its second season. When we visited the show’s set recently, Macht took the time to talk to us about Suits season 2 — all while wearing a tuxedo.
What’s up with the tuxedo?
Gabriel Macht: This is how I wake up and this is how I dress. [laughs] I get my makeup and hair done every morning…
We’re shooting a scene where a client of mine owns an energy company, and he has been told not to drink and not to gamble. And I’ve been told that he’s in Atlantic City, or he’s going to Atlantic City. He’s a keynote speaker at a conference. And there’s something that tells me that, “He’s in Atlantic City. How is he not gonna have a drink and how is he not gonna play poker?” And I just show up at Mike’s apartment and I say, “Get your tux on, we’re going to Atlantic City. We got to chaperone this guy.”
And, it turns out, he is drunk and he’s playing poker. And he asked somebody to back him on a little napkin, and he loses his entire $30 million company.
How would you describe the relationship Harvey has with Mike?
Gabriel Macht: There is the mentor thing. There is the big brother thing. Harvey sees so much of himself in Mike, when he was younger.
How has the character of Harvey evolved since the beginning of season 1?
Gabriel Macht: He hasn’t. [laughs]. He’s a little bit more complicated, I think. There’s some more challenges along the way, and he’s up against, you know, these huge challenges. I think that he’s just trying to fight even harder. He’s got such a mentality of winning that it makes it… It just makes him a little bit more complicated, I think, in being easy with what’s going on.
I think in this season, you’re gonna see a little bit more of Harvey who used to stand up for people behind their, and now he’s doing a little bit more in front of them. So he’s saying, “You’re not gonna get called out on my watch!” or “You’re not gonna get fired.”
With the dangers growing for Mike’s secret, will Harvey be more or less confident in Suits season 2?
Gabriel Macht: Harvey’s always confident. I think there’s a similar confidence. I also think that underneath, deep inside, there’s got to be a lot of insecurities that Harvey’s got, and that’s part of the reason that he’s sort of overconfident, you know? And that’s sort of how he feels like he gets things done.
There are times, though, I think, in his relationship with Jessica, where some of the mask sort of falls, and you see a bit more of his insecurities. I don’t think he tries to let anybody else see it. Donna, I think, sees it.
Do you think that Harvey could ever trust Mike enough to let his insecurities show?
Gabriel Macht: The funny thing is, I think he trusts Mike more than anybody else. Whether or not he tells him that is another story. But I think he absolutely will, and I think it’ll create a lot more interesting moments for the show, when he is able to reveal a little bit more of himself.
How could the truth about Mike affect Harvey’s relationship with Jessica?
Gabriel Macht: Harvey is her right-hand man. And maybe, at the end of the day, it could be trust. I might lose her trust by doing some of my actions… by some of Harvey’s actions. And I that I think is huge for Harvey, because she in many ways is his mentor. And I think that you know that’s scary territory for him. Because I think he is her grounding. He becomes grounded by her. And so he doesn’t want to do that. So he’s gonna make up for his mistakes with her. But there is a lot of this with Jessica and Harvey this year. There is like, “You’re doing it your way, and you shouldn’t be doing it that way. And you got to calm down.” Just almost like she’s got to put a leash on him, you know?
Do you see Harvey as a moral or immoral person?
Gabriel Macht: I truly believe that his moral through-line is really strict. I think he has a really honest, straight moral ground. His ways and his means of getting what he needs to win a case or to protect his client is rough and is, you know, completely alternative. But I think underneath everything, he stands for what’s right. And so that’s what I think makes him so heroic in many ways.
There have been rumors of a crisis involving Harvey and possibly the entire firm. What can you say about that?
Gabriel Macht: Gosh, I just don’t know how much I’m allowed to give…
Well, let’s put it this way: Travis Tanner from the first season, he comes back. And he sues the firm, and he tries to sue a General Motors-type car company. There’s some information that may have been buried again, and so this question that Harvey’s been involved not once but twice in burying some evidence comes into question. And the truth is, he didn’t bury it. It was looked over, and it does set, you know, this huge sort of house of cards to sort of crumble, which is great for the dramatic purposes of the show.
Will we be seeing anything of Harvey’s love life in Suits season 2?
Gabriel Macht: Gosh, I wish, you know? I really wish. I’d love to see him again, like [with] Scott. You know, it was a great episode last year with the Scotty character. And you know she went off to go marry her whoever-it-was, and I think it touched Harvey that she was actually moving on.
He is a workaholic, but he likes his fun. But I feel like, in order to grow and become a full person, I don’t know… I would love to see him fall in love. And I would love to see if he did fall in love, if he moves forward and she takes him and she falls in love with him. Or if, you know, she’s the one that got away. And how does that manifest?
Does the can opener reappear?
Gabriel Macht: The can opener? Does it? In the webisode? Is it discussed in the webisode? I think it’s acknowledged in the webisode… It’s not revealed, but it will be revealed before they cancel our show.
The season 2 premiere of Suits airs on Thursday, June 14 at 10pm on USA.
(Images courtesy of USA)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
Laurel grew up in Mamaroneck, NY, Grosse Pointe, MI and Bellevue WA. She then went on to live in places like Boston, Tucson, Houston, Wales, Tanzania, Prince Edward Island and New York City before heading back to Seattle. Ever since early childhood, when she became addicted to The Muppet Show, Laurel has watched far too much TV. Current favorites include Chuck, Modern Family, Supernatural, Mad Men and Community. Laurel received a BA in Astrophysics (yes, that is possible) from Colgate University and a PhD in Middle Eastern Studies and History of Science from Columbia University before she realized that television is much better than studying.
