Patrick J. Adams, Sarah Rafferty, Rick Hoffman, Meghan Markle, Gina Torres, and Gabriel Macht reflect on their biggest, weirdest, and most memorable pre- Suits roles.
Gabriel Macht: Beverly Hills, 90210
Fox
Macht's first on-screen credit, as high school student Tal Weaver in one episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 (which originally aired Oct. 10, 1991), still comes up frequently in interviews thanks, mostly, to the majestic mane seen above. "I always wore my hair in a ponytail, but the producers told me to pull my hair out," Macht told BuzzFeed. "So I thought I would try it and now, 20-plus years later, we're still talking about it."
Much of that ongoing discussion is owed to the impact that 90210 had on pop culture, which Macht says was already in the air when he filmed the Season 2 guest spot. "The show had serious momentum going into Season 2; I remember the cast was on the cover of all the magazines at the airport." That widespread attention also led to a pair of memorable on-set experiences for the then 19-year-old actor.
"I remember Jason Priestly being on his phone a lot and dropping all these F-bombs," he said. "I thought that was funny because he was like America's apple pie golden boy. I also remember having no idea what to talk about with Shannen Doherty and Jennie Garth while we were hanging around the set." So, in a bid to break the ice, Macht fell back on his theater training and decided to come up with a backstory he and Garth could share. (Their characters went to a Sting concert together.)
"I was coming from theater school, so I was coming up with backstory about our time at the Sting concert and she looked at me like I was crazy," he laughed. "It was my first TV gig and I wanted him to be this sensitive guy — but I don't think anyone named Tal Weaver, which is the greatest name in all of television, will ever come across like the good guy."
