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“All the cool kids are like, ‘Oh, well is it Netflix? Is it Max?’ No. It’s NBC. It’s network television. It’s Sunday night. It’s a really big deal.”
While it seemed like everyone on social media was binge-watching Suits during the pandemic, there was one person who was intentionally not watching the long-running series that ended in 2019: Stephen Amell. “I didn’t know much about the resurgence of the show on Netflix. And I had mostly kept it that way.” That freed up Amell creatively to take on the role of Ted Black in Suits LA, a spinoff of the original. “I just felt like I had a good feel for it, but I also felt like it was a high-profile job and I was lucky to be in the room.” The new series focuses on entertainment lawyers in Los Angeles. “There’s a long, rich history of legal dramas being successful on television. And for good reason, because it’s compelling. And entertainment law is compelling.” And part of what makes the franchise so successful—besides creator Aaron Korsh, who Amell calls “the through line between Suits and Suits LA“—is that love-hate relationship with lawyers. “I love a lawyer. My lawyer. But I don’t like any other lawyers. So what that also creates is a very rich canvas for drama.”
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Editor’s Note: This conversation has been edited and condensed for publication.
Were you aware of the resurgence in popularity of Suits, and how does it feel to be joining this popular franchise?
I didn’t know much about the resurgence of the show on Netflix. And I had mostly kept it that way, because when this audition came through––and I don’t know if it’s the exact date—but it was the last Friday in January that I auditioned. So, we’re looking at a year ago right now. I just went in and didn’t really overthink the material. I did the audition prep with my daughter, because my wife was away. She was 10 at the time. And I just felt like I had a good feel for it, but I also felt like it was a high-profile job, and I was lucky to be in the room, and they probably had an idea of what they were looking for. And I was lucky enough that Aaron Korsh and I––I felt like we connected right away. I had no idea who Aaron [was], at the time. There were a bunch of people in the room. I was mostly focused on Victoria Mahoney, who directed our pilot. But Aaron gave a couple of notes, and I have––to sum up a long answer, I promise they won’t all be this long––I have really stayed away from it. When I was starting on Arrow back in the day, I focused on what David Nutter had to say, and what Greg Berlanti, and Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kreisberg had to say. And I didn’t worry about the outside world. And I feel like I’m very much doing that now, between Aaron Korsh, Anton Cropper…. Mike Smith is directing our current episode, and he and Anton, I think, were the two most prolific directors of the original. So if they’re happy, if the writers that are there are laughing, and if the crew seems like they’re in a good mood, that’s good enough for me. That’s my long answer. [laughs]
David Astorga/NBC
What is it about this story and this iteration of the franchise that you responded to?
Oh man, it’s fun. It’s a lot of fun. Sometimes it’ll get serious, and obviously the emotions are real, the stakes are real. But everything’s heightened. Everything is beautiful and pretty, and thus, attractive. And it can be serious without taking itself too seriously. I love some of these shows that are on right now, these prestige television shows, but some of them need to take the piss out of themselves every once and a while. And I feel like the thing that’s special about Suits really is—and the through line between Suits and Suits LA—is Aaron Korsh. Aaron will be the first one to tell you that what he is doing is creating this fantastical world, and he’s sprinkling––not sprinkling––he’s laying these really, hugely personal moments and feelings that are personal to him throughout them. And I’ve always felt that if someone writes something that’s personal to them, then it tends to resonate with a big audience. And it has. So you’d hope that because it’s still Aaron creating and crafting these characters, that it will resonate with audiences the same way.
So what can people expect from this series?
Well, you think that you’re expecting entertainment law, which would mean Hollywood deals, and dealmaking and heads of studio, and that is not at all where we begin. We begin against the backdrop of entertainment law, and yet, Ted is thrust into the criminal defense side of it. And we start off with this massive firm called Black Lane, and there are immediately fractures within that firm as it is attempting to merge into even a bigger firm. So I don’t know if that’s where we’ll stay, but the first chunk of the series is a very, very deeply personal story about Ted trying to overcome personal and professional obstacles that he does not want to face. But in terms of what you can expect, the inner-office friendships, the politics, the power struggles, the romance, the potential romance, the past romance––all of those things are in play. The interpersonal connections between the assistant, and the lawyer, and the associate and the partner––those are all there. All of the classic tropes of the Suits world are there, they’re just set against a different type of law.
L.A. is such a character in and of itself. What is it about L.A., which is such an industry town, that makes it such a ripe area for storytelling?
Well, one of our characters has a line in episode seven that says, “Big city, small town,” because you always run into the same people. I mean, L.A. is––listen, it’s the epicenter of the world’s entertainment. It’s where it’s made. To be able to go up into the Hollywood Hills, to film in the CAA offices in Century City, which you’ll recognize from the previews––you’ll recognize it from the Barbie movie as well––to film at the Biltmore in downtown L.A. like we did this week and see photos of the 1941 Academy Awards. It’s like, this is amazing. This is wonderful. And I think the more that we can lean into that, the better. Like if we’re going to go to the beach, if we’re going to set something at the beach, let’s go to the beach. I think it’s interesting because––well obviously, Entourage did it a little bit, but I think that the show is a little more broad, and I really hope that we can really show a really fun and interesting aspect of the entertainment industry. Because, I mean, listen––as someone that’s been a part of it now for the better part of two decades––you think it’s the actors that have the power. Maybe you think it’s the agents that have the power, the managers that have the power. No, no. No. It’s the lawyers.
David Astorga/NBC
It’s always the lawyers.
It’s always the lawyers! So I’m excited to show that aspect of it because there’s a long, rich history of legal dramas being successful on television. And for good reason, because it’s compelling. And entertainment law is compelling. You think someone like [Leonardo] DiCaprio, as an example—Very famously, no agent. No manager. Lawyer. Always the lawyer.
Part of the thing that people love about shows that focus on lawyers is that, yes, it’s compelling, but it’s also really easy to hate them, too. The conflict there with lawyers is built into a story that is already compelling because of people’s mixed feelings with lawyers, you know what I mean?
No one likes [lawyers] until they need them, right? Or, I think what you’ll find is––and I know I certainly feel this way––I love a lawyer. My lawyer. But I don’t like any other lawyers. So, what that also creates is a very rich canvas for drama because lawyers become very territorial because they know that the only real way that they can have sway is if they have a client and that client becomes fiercely loyal to them. Because they can’t go out and trade for themselves. They have to trade standing to the side or behind somebody. They don’t necessarily have their own agency. They can have all the knowledge in the world, but unless they’re acting on behalf of someone, it doesn’t matter. So, who are they acting on behalf of? I know that we consistently allude in the show to my clients––like a guy that we always reference is Denzel [Washington]. And he was nice enough to allow us to use a photo of him, and we superimposed me into sitting courtside at a Lakers game. We had to get his permission for that, so that was very lovely of him. But it’s all about who you represent.
Throughout your career, with Arrow and Heels, you haven’t really worn a lot of suits. Is it more exciting to not wear a suit? Or are you enjoying the Suits of it all?
I’m enjoying it. Yesterday I shot five scenes. The first two I was by myself, and the next two I was with a wonderful scene partner, and the last one was with two different actors. And it was just words. There might have been some fast walking, but there were certainly no stunts. No one was being tortured. I was not in a wrestling ring. I was not yelling at a crowd of people. And yet, I was as tired at the end of yesterday as I was after some of the longest days that I would have on Arrow or Heels. It’s a lot of fun. The muscle that I am working hardest right now is my brain, because I have a lot of words to remember. But they’re fun words to say. So, I do like this new chapter. I do sometimes get in my own head, because our crew is so wonderful, and it’s a new show, but it’s a familiar, tight-knit, been-together-a-long-time creative team. So, everything is running incredibly smoothly. So sometimes I do get to the end of the day, and I’m like, “Is that it? Should I have done more?” I get in my head about that. Like, I haven’t torn muscle off of my rib today. Have I done enough? But I’ll get used to it. Again, I just gotta put my trust in Aaron and the creative team. And if they’re happy, I’m happy.
It says a lot about your career that you’re being trusted with this brand. That might add some pressure, but it’s cool that you’ve been given this opportunity.
Listen, I am trying to remain as humble and grateful and have as much gratitude as humanly possible because NBC is moving mountains to promote this show and they’re trusting me. 100 percent. They’re putting a lot of trust, they’re putting a lot of faith in someone that hasn’t really dipped their feet too much in this particular type of genre, whatever genre you really want to call it. A little bit of drama, a little bit of comedy, the legalese of it all. All the cool kids are like, “Oh, well is it Netflix? Is it Max? Is it these prestige TV things?” No. It’s NBC. It’s network television. It’s Sunday night. It’s a really big deal. And I’m very, very thankful that I’m surrounded by and supported by so many great people, including my castmates, who are all very excited, but it’s no one’s first crack at anything. Everyone has been here, on their own in some way, shape or form. Either leading a series, or as part of a very, very popular series. It feels like everyone’s an adult in the room. Everyone cares a lot. Everyone feels very grateful to be shooting in Los Angeles. So, I feel all that support, and feeling supported takes away any of that pressure. And then of course, it all rushes back the minute that I see a cut of an episode. And I’m just peering up out of the corner of my eye, and then I get a reassuring phone call, and I go back to work.
This is a very famous spinoff of a very famous show that has a rabid fanbase. You had a huge show with Arrow which also has a rabid fanbase that wanted a spinoff. Would you ever do a spinoff of Arrow in addition to Suits LA?
Oh, sure. Yeah, I’d love to go back and play Arrow at some point. What we would do is we would want to create a list of all of the things that we couldn’t do within the confines of network television. Because we did all of the things that we could over the course of 170 episodes. So we would want to come up with a list of the things that we couldn’t do, and the things that Oliver definitely would do and do something like that. That would be a blast. There’s a lot of recurring patterns for me because when I took over the character of Oliver Queen, there are people that would write to me, like I have been a fan of this character since the 1950s. Be careful. Treat it with respect. And Ted Black is not a new version––he’s never been played before. They are obviously people that are going to draw a line from Harvey––they’re both kind of the de facto leaders of their firm, so I can see where people get it. And we both came up at the DA’s office, which is something that we explore in the series as well. But they’re two very different people. I’ve got a lot of respect for people that loved the original, but I also have learned my lesson to stay away, because there are going to be some people that are very, very loud that say, “We don’t want season one of Suits LA, we want season 10 of Suits. I’m not gonna watch the show.” And one of the reasons that I stay away is so that I don’t pop onto my Instagram and pop in underneath that comment and just write, in all lowercase, you’re definitely going to watch. Yeah, I don’t want to do that. That would be rude. But you know what? They are. They’re definitely going to watch.
Also, even if people are like that, it’s the Arrow fans who are gonna turn it. So the numbers will work out.
The whole thing doesn’t make any sense, because it’s like, okay listen. You guys got 134 episodes of the original show. Take it from me, shows run their course. And they can always come back, but after a certain point of time, people are ready for a break creatively. Both the actors and the executives. So you’ve got the team behind the original that is looking at this as an extension of the Suits universe, where I’m sure you will be––Gabriel coming back to the show in the first season, or potentially other people––you’ll get a continuation of their story, you get to find out where they are in the world. And I’m also relaxed about the fact, yeah, are fans of Arrow going to watch the show? I hope so. Are fans of the original going to watch the show? Definitely. But I also know that the majority of our audience on February 23 will be made up of people that have seen neither show. Neither. It’ll be new people. And maybe Suits LA will become their favorite show. That’s always a really fun thing because the plan is to do this for a while, and if you get to do it for a while then you get to hear stories about people growing up with their kids watching the show, people who bond with their mom or their dad, or dads and moms that bond with their sons and their daughters and it becomes their Sunday night thing. It’s an amazing thing to hear. I’ve been lucky enough to hear it from previous work. And that’s what we’re trying to create again. So, all the other noise, once the show gets on the air, all that stuff will fade into the background.
I felt like I knew a lot of your work, but I had no idea that your first show was a show that I loved as a kid, Queer as Folk. How does no one talk about that with you? I would not expect you to be on that show and I love that you were for those two episodes.
So the funny thing about that is I had just gotten into acting, and I played a spin instructor on the show. I think my only lines were while I was on the spin bike. What people might not know is, at the time, I was a spin instructor. I was a spin instructor in Toronto where they shot the show, so they’d bring me on for two episodes. And I swear to God, I said to my agent before the audition, because I had auditioned three or four times and hadn’t gotten anything. I go, “Alright. It’s a spin instructor. I’m going out, I’m auditioning for the spin instructor.” I go, “If I don’t get it, I quit.” Meanwhile, I think the fact that I was a spin instructor probably had, I don’t know, nothing to do with me being cast. I was just probably the right look or what they were looking for. But yeah, that was a great show, man. That’s probably over 20 years ago. It’s a long time ago.
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