‘Suits’ Q&A: Rick Hoffman On Louis’ Health, Love

Pearson Specter came close to losing one of its most valued (and definitely it’s most quirky) employee when Louis Litt had a heart attack on Thursday night’s episode of USA’s “Suits.”

The character, played by actor Rick Hoffman, survived, went on to propose to Sheila (Rachael Harris), and recruit Harvey (Gabriel Macht) as his best man all before he realized that he and the love of his life were incompatible on one major issue. Louis wants kids, while Sheila only likes them in adult form.

AccessHollywood.com spoke to Rick about his big episode, the ways the writers and Executive Producer Aaron Korsh continually keep him on his toes, the end of the Louis/Sheila romance and what’s next in Season 3.

AccessHollywood.com: I know that the writers of the show love ‘Game of Thrones’ and I’m curious – when you found out that they were going to give Louis a heart attack, were you ever worried that they might ‘Game of Thrones’ you and kill you off? ‘GoT’s’ Michelle Fairley was just on ‘Suits.’

Rick Hoffman: So there’d be sort of like a ‘Green Wedding’ for Louis?

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Access: Sure.

Rick: [Executive Producer] Aaron Korsh, by the way, I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this to you before, but Aaron Korsh, since the beginning, has always had this joke he pulls on me. Just for good luck, he fires me pretty much every month. … Like he’ll call me and leave a message telling me that … Louis gets killed off in the next episode. Like he constantly pranks me, throughout these last three seasons.

Access: That’s really kind of him and then they gave you the cat you were allergic to…

Rick: Oh, they do that, they put me naked in mud. They just have me naked in general, which is humiliating, just so I can disturb the entire nation a couple of times a season. Yeah.

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Access: But then with this one, you weren’t worried they were going to ‘Game of Thrones’ you?

Rick: No, because here’s what happened – one time, and it wasn’t even something that happened to me physically in my character, it was just something where there was potential – Louis had a thought of potentially taking up somebody’s offer to leave, and then they wrote in the script, ‘And this is where Rick Hoffman worries about his job.’

Access: So let’s talk about having to bare your bottom on camera [during the hospital proposal scene]. Were you excited to do that? Did you do exfoliation?

Rick: … I think it’s hilarious that Louis’ character thinks, as he says, his body is a temple, when clearly it’s not. But, I think after being [naked in] mud, after being naked in the locker room, after doing these promos with Apolo Ohno wearing a speed skating outfit, where his junk is showing, I think it’s time that we get the hunks of this show to start doing — don’t you think it’s time to stop disturbing America and start using Harvey and Mike? You know what I mean?

Access: I think you just avoided the question (laughs).

Rick: You got me! … Let’s just say that I love my job, and I’ll do anything for the craft as long as it’s not too far-fetched. If they asked me to take off my clothes again, I’m making – in my contract – that yeah, Gabriel Macht has to at least take off his shirt. It’s getting ridiculous that I’m the only guy on this show who is naked.

Access: One of the interesting things in the episode was the revelation that Louis can’t give up kids for Sheila. Do you think, going forward, this will make him more determined to find love?

Rick: Hmm… That’s a good question.

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Access: That’s where you realize, ‘I love this person, but I can’t marry them because I want more.’

Rick: Yeah. … As far as me and Rachael [Harris, who plays Sheila] are concerned, we were both really just sort of sad that we weren’t going to get to work together, but it was sort of for a good reason, because Rachel’s doing ‘Surviving Jack.’ And, yeah… just for you to ask that question, I don’t think you would have ever asked that question in Season 1. We didn’t see that side of Louis. So sure, I hope so.

Access: This is episode 4 and I think there’s only six total for the rest of Season 3. So where do we go from here, and will there be continuing health concerns for Louis?

Rick: No, that’s kind of put to bed and I think, based on the how the world, the medical world has advanced in cardiology, I think Louis will be just fine in that regard.

Access: What do you want to hint at for the last episodes [of Season 3]? What kind of things will we be dealing with?

Rick: We’re gonna be dealing with something that’s a lot more potentially serious for some other character when it comes to a life choice and it really changes the dynamic of the firm, potentially.

“Suits” airs Thursday nights at 9/8c on USA.

Jolie Lash

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