At the height ofSuits' popularity, star Gabriel Macht couldn’t understand why people felt so connected to his character, hotshot corporate lawyer Harvey Specter. Thanks to Netflix,Suitshas enjoyed a resurgence in popularity, one that sadly failed to translate into viewership for the show’s second official spinoff,Suits: LA. The Los Angeles-based series was canceled after its first season, despite Gabriel Macht’s relatively brief but welcome appearance as Harvey.
Of course, part ofthe appeal of the originalSuitswas the interplay between Harvey Specter and his brilliant but unqualified mentee, Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams), an important narrative aspect thatSuits: LAnever replicated.Suitsmanaged to cling on for two more seasons after Adams left, however, proving that Harvey and his relationships with characters likeDonna Paulsen (Sarah Rafferty)and Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman) were just compelling enough on their own to sustain the show.
It wasn’t just his will-they-won’t-they romance with Donna or his unconventional bromance with Louis that had people fall in love with Harvey Specter, though. Harvey is a complicated character. His aggression at work hid something much deeper below the surface, though it took a while for that to become clear.
Instead, it seemed mostpeople responded to Harvey’s unique brand of cutthroat charmin particular. That left an unusual impression on Macht.
Back When Suits Was Airing, Gabriel Macht Didn’t Understand All The Love For Harvey
In a 2015 interview published byThe Sydney Morning Herald, four years into the show’s run on the USA Network, Gabriel Macht shared that he couldn’t understand why fans responded to Harvey’s character in such a positive way. Audiences always"adored"Harvey, even when he was his most self-centered and aggressive self. This confused the actor. Didn’t they know that Harvey wasn’t an aspirational character?
“When I see people on the street, everyone is ‘Harvey Specter! Hey Harveyyy!’ says Macht, affecting his best bro-ish tone of voice.”
“There was a guy in New York who was like, ‘I adore you, you’re my everything.’ And I was like, ‘Really? You adore the totally insecure guy who’s got to put people in their place in a really aggressive, angry way?'”
“When we start poking holes into his armor, and we actually reveal what it is about him and what makes him tick, that’s really, really engrossing for me as an actor,” says Macht.
Sure,Harvey was smart, deviously cunning, handsome, and undeniably charismatic, but that didn’t hide the fact that he had a myriad of issues to deal with. It was those issues that Macht enjoyed exploring the most. Harvey’s"armor"needed to be broken down. That personal growth, much more than his firm’s corporate casework, setSuitsapart from other legal dramas.
Gabriel Macht Was Right About Harvey Being An Insecure Person With Lots Of Issues
There’s nothing inherently wrong with being ambitious. But Harvey was always trying to one-up himself, desperate to maintain his reputation as a"closer,“and this often came at the expense of his well-being and his relationships with others.Underneath that hardened exterior, Harvey had a difficult time trusting people. We later learned that this stemmed from his parents’ difficult, adulterous relationship. If they couldn’t make it work, why should Harvey ever believe that he could?
His trust issues infected every inch of his personal and professional life. When Donna gives him two weeks' notice, he shuts down, refusing to admit how dependent he is on her. He manipulates his boss, Jessica Pearson (Gina Torres), when the truth about Mike’s lack of education comes out and the situation spirals out of control. Harvey operates solely in the gray, with little regard for how that might affect his clients and friends.
In short, he was insecure; insecure about his work, his personal life, and his past. Rather than deal with it, he forced himself to ignore it, causing him to self-destruct at the worst possible times. He wasn’t just aggressive because he wanted to get the job done; he was aggressive because he had no other outlet for his feelings.
Harvey Specter Was Not Exactly A Role Model In Suits – But He Did Have His Moments
Given Harvey’s deeply rooted issues, he wasn’t exactly an inspirational character. That said,people loved him because they could see the cracks in his hardened shell, and they wanted to learn what made him tick. Harvey could be fiercely loyal, and he proved that owning up to your mistakes, making amends, and dealing with your trauma could genuinely change life for the better.
His softest moments with Donna, his grudging respect for Louis, and his life-changing friendship with Mike gave us a frequent glimpse of who he could be. Someone like Harvey Specter can’t maintain such a passionate fan base without being an emotionally rich, complex character, and Harvey’s best moments reflect that. He arguably grew more than anyone on that show.
Suits Fans Got To See Harvey Evolve As A Person Throughout The Show
If a character as attached to his destructive tendencies asHarvey Specter could find the will to change– evidenced by his romantic commitment to Donna and his desire to help Mike with his anti-capitalist law firm in Seattle – then surely, that means that anyone can, right? Harvey Specter’s role inSuitsis essentially a case study. What happens when someone who finds it difficult to trust people allows themselves to open up?
Harvey Specter’s role inSuitsis essentially a case study. What happens when someone who finds it difficult to trust people allows themselves to open up?
Any good story depicts a character who grows and evolves. Static characters are fundamentally uninteresting.Perhaps audiences initially responded to Harvey’s arrogant charm, but what kept them invested inSuitswas undoubtedly his growth as a lawyer, friend, and personin general.
