Suits actor Patrick J. Adams, best known for playing fraudulent lawyer Michael Ross, has explained why he left the show in its seventh season.
The drama TV show based around fictional law firm Pearson Hardman in New York City aired on USA Network from 2011 to 2019, for a total of nine seasons.
Adams starred in the show alongside the likes of Gabriel Macht, Meghan Markle and Rick Hoffman, playing a lawyer that doesn't have a licence to practice, but passed the bar due to his photographic memory.
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With a cult-like following, it's no surprise that news of a spin-off excited fans.
However, a couple of the main cast left the show a couple of years before its finale, namely Gina Torres, Meghan Markle and Patrick J. Adams himself.
Markle had to put a halt to her acting career after getting married to Prince Harry at the end of season seven, while Torres left for personal reasons as her contract expired after season six.
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But now, Adams has lifted the lid on his departure from the show, where the season seven finale saw his character get married to Markle's character, Rachel Zane, and move to Seattle together.
Although he returned in a recurring role in season nine, Adams was never an ever-present on the show again.
The 43-year-old was a guest on Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s Dinner’s on Me podcast, where he spoke about the challenges he faced while on the show.
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Adams said that he wanted to put more emphasis on his marriage to Troian Bellisario, best known for her role in Pretty Little Liars, and that he was fighting a mental health battle.
“I wasn’t taking good care of my mental health and I was drinking too much [at] the end of Season 7,” the actor revealed.
He explained: “I was in a zone of living a pretty unexamined life. Pretty miserable (and) I would say, pretty depressed.
“I didn’t have the tools to deal with that depression beyond just spending money and drinking too much, and not really knowing how to talk about it.”
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Comparing his mental age at the time to still being a 25-year-old by 'doing patterns of how I would numb myself' to deal with any worries, he realised that it was negatively impacting his relationship and making him a bad father.
Adams admitted: “That for me was a breaking point when I was like, ‘I think I should stop drinking probably, because I don’t wanna be that dad'. The best thing I think I ever did for myself was stop drinking.
“It just needed to happen in order for all these other things to happen.”
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He revealed that 'the only reason to stay was money', revealing: “I didn’t know what else to offer.
“Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and think about the money (Gabriel Macht) made those last two years, but I never regretted the decision for a second. It was the right thing for my marriage.
“It was time,” he stated.
Adams has two daughters with Bellisario, 39, and though he has improved his family life, he hasn't ruled out a possible appearance in the upcoming Suits spin-off, which Macht is set to return for.
Speaking at the Golden Globes earlier this year, he said: “Whatever the case, our fearless Aaron is working on it. And if we get the call, if I get the call, I’m ready to get dressed,
“I love the show, I love the character. And I’ve loved working with all these people.”
Markle also once said 'never say never' to a Suits return, as she looks back fondly at her time on the show.
Topics: Mental Health, Celebrity, TV
Joshua Nair