Bryan Greenberg finds Suits LA lawyer a perfect fit
Veteran actor Bryan Greenberg explains why he related to the Hollywood links in Suits LA.
Hollywood adds a whole other level to the world of Suits fans know and love in Suits LA.
Set in Los Angeles, as the name suggests, the TV drama has been a long time coming.
Just a few episodes in, we spoke to actor Bryan Greenberg, who plays ambitious lawyer Rick Dodsen in the series.
“The Hollywood world can be pretty cutthroat and let’s say morally grey,” Greenberg says.
“The challenge of playing Rick Dodson is that he sees himself as like having a really strong moral compass and, in fact, prides himself on doing the right thing. And despite what everybody else is doing, or encouraging him to take shortcuts or to cheat, I think the challenge for Rick is that he’s always trying to keep his dignity in this business and it is very hard.”
Greenberg, 46, is a veteran of the acting game. He’s been on screen since appearing on an episode of Law & Order in 1997 and is known for his work on shows including How to Make It in America, One Tree Hill and The Mindy Project, as well as films Bride Wars and Friends with Benefits.
So of course he related to those Hollywood links in Suits LA.
“I’ve been working in Hollywood for 25 years and it’s a weird industry, and it’s kind of the wild west. There’s not really rules,” he says.
“It is not like, if you get this degree and you study with this person, you’ll get this job.
“It’s just random. You could be like a TikToker and go rise to stardom, and you could train your whole life as an actor and never work. There’s no rhyme or reason to it sometimes.
“And there’s a lot of money coming in from, like, shady places – you know, people coming in and out of Hollywood to make a splash – and so I’ve definitely seen all types of characters in this business.
“So the storylines don’t feel that unfamiliar to me.”
Suits LA comes six years after the conclusion of the original series Suits that starred Meghan Markle, Gabriel Macht, Rick Hoffman, Patrick J Adams, Gina Tores and Sarah Rafferty.
Aaron Korsh created both shows, with Doug Liman and David Bartis executive producers on both.
“I’ve had a pretty crazy career, like so many ups and downs, and so I’m just enjoying the up,” Greenberg says.
“I’ve gone through so much that I’m like, ‘what could phase me at this point’? Like, what’s the worst that can happen? That people don’t like it?
“I’ve been in things that people don’t like so all you can do is do your best and that nervousness and that fear, that doesn’t really serve your work so I try not to play into it too much because there’s nothing really good that comes out of it.”
He continues: “I mean, I want it to succeed. I want my work to respond, to connect with an audience.
“Obviously I put my heart and soul into it, and I love what I do. I dedicate my whole life to this so obviously I want it to connect, but at a certain point, as an artist, you just have to let go and it’s really not about the reaction at that point.
“All you can control is your work and your preparation, and the rest is just – let’s just enjoy the ride and let’s see where it goes.”
Comparisons to the original, Greenberg concedes, are inevitable.
“As an actor, I had to really, I just had to protect my process,” he says.
“And knowing that it was Aaron (Korsh), of course, the same writer and all of the same writers from the original Suits came back, and a lot of the same directors and even the same wardrobe, there’s just a lot of DNA in this.
“So we’ve already got that. As great as the show was and as much respect as I have for it, I just didn’t want to fall into what they did.
“I wanted to be conscious of creating my own character with my own rhythms.
“I just watched the pilot to get the sense of the tone but then I stopped myself from watching more because I didn’t want to fall into that. But, yeah, people are going to compare it. It’s fair to do that.”
To Greenberg, playing Dodsen is an opportunity to show his many skills as an actor.
“I love comedy. I love drama. I get to be romantic in this. I get to do all the things I love to do, and it’s fun,” he says.
“I’ve never been a part of something that is so anticipated and already just that the name Suits, the first show, they did such a great job with that and built such a huge fanbase so it’s an honour to be a part of it.”
Obviously there are comparisons to the original but there’s also a likeness to other legal shows like Ally McBeal and LA Law.
“I always say Mad Men, too, because you get the office politics, and that’s really fun to play with,” he says.
“Since we’re all lawyers, so everything, even the romantic relationships, it’s all negotiating, like everybody’s trying to one up each other. They’re always trying to get something. As an actor, you’re always looking for that obstacle, and it’s really fun to just play with a bunch of lawyers.”
Work aside, Greenberg has also had a lot going on in his personal life. A father to twin boys, he and wife, actor Jamie Chung, lost their home in the recent devastating LA bushfires.
“We consider ourselves grateful that we’re all healthy and it really puts into perspective what’s important.
“There’s people who suffered much worse things than us, so I’d rather direct attention towards those families who still need places to stay and relief funds.
“I’m really grateful to be on this show in Los Angeles at this time where this city, like it was already kind of struggling, the business was struggling because a lot of work went elsewhere. And after the pandemic and everything, it’s been hard to come back as an industry. So I’m just super grateful and proud to be on a show that represents the city and to be here for the rebuilding of it.”
New episodes of Suits LA are fast tracked to 7plus every Monday
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Originally published as Bryan Greenberg finds Suits LA lawyer a perfect fit
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