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Prior to his breakthrough on ‘The Pitt,’ Patrick Ball was contemplating stepping away from his acting career.
Patrick Ball was nearly ready to abandon acting when he secured his part in The Pitt.
“Around six months before the opportunity with The Pitt presented itself, I found myself residing in New Haven with my former partner,” Ball recently shared with Cultured magazine. “We had been together for three years, yet struggled to envision a future. As an actor, the uncertainty of what lies ahead, coupled with financial instability, can be daunting. I was actively seeking an exit strategy.”
At that point, Ball, who studied drama at Yale University, was weighing a serious career shift, including possibly joining the FBI or the Merchant Marines. But after a few more life twists – including a stint doing corporate coaching seminars where he played an employee who had to be fired – he was cast as Dr. Frank Langdon in the Noah Wyle medical drama.
The hefty HBO paycheck came as a massive relief, Ball said.
“I paid off my student loans like three months into The Pitt, and that was a really profound moment ‘cause I thought I was gonna die with it. It’s a huge burden to carry, and a lot of people carry it,” he said.
“I was $80,000 in debt and I had been through a series of failed relationships where my financial insecurity was a real problem,” he continued. “I had just thought that was going to be my life forever, and that is a really heavy thing to live with. Paying off those student loans and getting back to zero, I remember being like, Man, if this show works, great. If it doesn’t work, they can’t take that away from me. I am out of debt. No take-backsies on that.”
The Pitt Season 2 is currently streaming on HBO Max, with the season finale set for April 16. The show has been renewed for season 3.
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