6 Biggest Revelations From the 'Suits' Reunion

Suits

Suits was a big deal when it aired on USA from 2011 to 2019, but it became the biggest show in the world last summer when a plethora of new fans discovered the series on Netflix. The cast, including Patrick J. Adams, Sarah Rafferty, Dulé Hill, Amanda Schull and Abigail Spencer reunited with former USA executive Jeff Wachtel at the ATX TV Festival on Sunday to talk about the Suits renaissance and reminisce about their early memories of the show.

The panel was presented by Tudum on Netflix and moderated by Tudum writer Ariana Romero, who had the cast reveal little-known or never-before-heard tidbits about the show. Parade was in the audience for the panel to recap the biggest revelations heard on stage about this fan-favorite show. Keep reading for the inside scoop.

6 Biggest Revelations from the 'Suits' Reunion

1. Donna was not originally going to be a major part of the show

This was the most shocking detail to come out of the panel. Donna was not going to be a series regular role when the pilot script was first filmed. The pilot director Kevin Bray put Donna in a scene between Harvey (Gabriel Macht) and Mike (Adams), where Harvey needed to sign a form, and an improvised detail helped secure Donna's importance within Harvey's world.

"I was not supposed to be in that scene. I remember on the day that Kevin Bray was like, 'No, you're gonna be in this scene.' And then Gabriel and I had a quick sidebar, and I was like, 'What if you don't carry anything? Like you don't have a pen or your business cards and I just always have the thing that you need,' because I wanted to make Donna indispensable," Rafferty revealed.

That wasn't the only quick thinking Rafferty had to do to land the part of Donna. Macht originally put her up for the part but Rafferty had to lie about where she was living in order to audition.

"They weren't seeing Donnas in Los Angeles. So I cheated and said I lived in New York," Rafferty explained to the panel audience. "I flew myself out and put myself up."

If Rafferty hadn't lied about where she lived and if she and Macht hadn't been good friends to build that chemistry between Donna and Mike, she may have only made an appearance in the first episode and then disappeared.

Related: 'Suits' Cast: Where Are They Now? Find Out What the Actors Have Been Up to Since the Show Ended

2. Amanda Schull originally auditioned to be Rachel Zane

It's hard to imagine Katrina being played by anyone but Amanda Schull, but the actress revealed that she auditioned to play many women on the show starting with Rachel before finally getting the part of Katrina.

"I went in originally for the role of Rachel Zane. I was really excited about the writing of it. The audition was Rachel just banging out this monologue of showing Mike where things were. I was so nervous, I could see my heart beating in my chest and I had pit stains. I didn't do well, but Bonnie [Zane, casting director] called me back in and the note was 'she can do better,'" Schull detailed.

"I didn't get the job, but I went in for every single female guest star the first season, and then I got a call that they had written a role for me. I still had to audition for it, but I found my Katrina," she continued. It just proves that everything happens for a reason.

3. Suits was originally about bankers instead of lawyers

Jeff Wachtel told the origin story of the series, which was originally based on series creator Aaron Korsh's experience as an investment banker before he moved to LA to be a screenwriter. The network wasn't interested in a Wall Street show and requested it be changed to lawyers. It still took three years before the network was ready to actually produce the show.

"USA was pretty scared. Those of you familiar with the pilot, Mike is a drug dealer," Wachtel explained. "It was a little bit outside of our comfort zone."

Now Suits is the biggest show USA ever made.

4. Patrick and Gabriel never did a chemistry read before being cast

Harvey and Mike's banter and brotherly energy are the core DNA of Suits, but it was never tested before either Macht or Adams were hired for the show. In fact, the two didn't even meet each other until after they both landed the job.

"The first time I met Gabriel was after we were both cast and we went out to lunch. It was not an exciting lunch. It was just two guys praying the other one isn't a complete dick," Adams regaled. The actor continued to say that he and Macht both matched their characters' energies in real life. Adams was on the verge of quitting acting before landing the part of Mike Ross and was desperate to get hired, while Macht was doing the show as more of an experiment.

"He was coming in with this life experience where he'd done a ton of work, and he was a movie star in a lot of ways. He's done a lot of huge films, and I was coming at it very much like, 'I need to fight for every moment because I don't know that I'm going to be able to do this for a living if this thing doesn't work out.'" Those perspectives worked to their advantage when playing Mike and Harvey's dynamic.

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5. Finding the name Suits was a real struggle for USA

The original title for Suits was "A Legal Mind," and then "Untitled Aaron Korsh Project" through the filming of the pilot. USA was so desperate for an official title that they offered a $100 Starbucks gift card to anyone in the organization who could come up with a good name for the show, according to Wachtel.

A development executive named Alex Sepiol rose to the challenge and pitched the name Suits because the characters wear suits and prosecute lawsuits. He got the Starbucks gift card and the executive team bought him a suit of his own for the brilliant suggestion.

6. There is hope for a Suits movie

The first fan question of the panel asked the cast if they'd be interested in making a Suits movie. Adams said that conversations have been happening on that front even if there are no official plans yet.

"There's obviously a Suits: LA show that is being made. That is Aaron's focus, but [a movie] is definitely something he's interested in doing and trying to get the band back together," he said. "It's going to depend on a million things for that to happen, but if it is possible, then the band is down to get together."

In the meantime, fans can rewatch Suits on Netflix, including Season 9 which will be added to the streaming service on July 1.

Next, Everything to Know About the New 'Suits' Series, 'Suits: LA'—Including Who Has Been Cast