As Suits’ resurgence continues, with Season 9 arriving next month to Netflix subscribers, the cast participated in some Super Bowl commercials earlier this year. Now, two of the OG cast members want to capitalize on the show’s success, as Patrick J. Adams and Sarah Rafferty are launching a Suits podcast in the near future. However, if not for Gabriel Macht, Rafferty wouldn’t have been on the series, and the legal drama would have looked a whole lot different.
Rafferty’s Donna Paulsen was Harvey Specter’s secretary-turned COO of the law firm and confidante throughout most of the show. Since Donna and Harvey had a special bond, both personal and professional, it would make sense that whoever played Donna would have to be perfect for the part that was initally just going to be a small part. Former USA Network president Jeff Wachtel recalled casting Rafferty at ATX Festival (via Deadline) and how it came to be, all thanks to Macht:
Gabriel called and said, ‘Look, there’s this unbelievable actress that I know, and I know we’re casting Donna, and she’s not a regular, but it’s the person who’s going to be my assistant. I would love you to read her. They’re talking, and she just is looking from one to the other, and you just feel the glue. Like I just want to hang out with these people. So it’s just wonderful how things can come together in unexpected ways.
Additionally, Rafferty also looked back at that time before Suits, as she had another pilot that didn’t get picked up. Her old friend Macht convinced her to audition for Donna, and of course she landed the role after she flew cross-country herself just to read for the part. It’s hard to imagine Suits without Harvey and Donna’s relationship, even if it was complicated at times. The fact that Rafferty and Macht are also old friends makes it even better.
Sarah Rafferty was one of few to stay on Suits the entire nine-season run, alongside Gabriel Macht and Rick Hoffman. It’s possible that if Macht didn’t passionately suggest Rafferty for the role, Donna Paulsen wouldn’t have been on the show for very long. She basically ran the law firm even if everyone else didn’t exactly know it. It’s a good thing Macht told her to audition, because it is hard to imagine Harvey having witty conversations and putting his trust into Donna not played by Rafferty.
The same can be said for everyone on the Suits cast, really. As I see it, the reason why the show went on for nine seasons is not just because of the fans, but also because of the cast and their characters, how invested people were in their storylines, and the chemistry everyone had with each other. It’s pretty crazy to think now that the show is continuously being talked about, and Suits is living on with upcoming spinoff Suits L.A. Perhaps the same thing will happen for that cast. If not for a particular character being upped to series regular and being played by the perfect actor, who knows what could happen.
At the time, Gabriel Macht may not have known how much he really changed Suits by bringing up Sarah Rafferty. It’s unknown who else might have been in the running for Donna Paulsen, but at least fans don’t have to worry about that. Those with a Peacock subscription can watch all of their favorite Donna moments if they don’t have Netflix and see just why the show is a lot better with her.