Suits LA’s Josh McDermitt Opened Up About His Character’s Premiere Twist, But I Was Really Hooked By Him Talking About Being Punched By Stephen Amell

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Initially, when the show Suits debuted in 2011, the primary source of intrigue stemmed from the character played by Gabriel Macht, Harvey Specter, hiring Patrick J. Adams’ Mike Ross, who not only lacked a Harvard education but also hadn’t earned a law degree. Contrasting with this, the new series Suits LA chose to explore a completely different angle in its introduction of dramatic tension.

In the TV show that premiered roughly a month ago according to the 2025 schedule, Josh McDermitt‘s character Stuart Lane betrayed his co-star Stephen Amell’s character Ted Black. It was fascinating to learn about this plot turn in my recent conversation with McDermitt, but I became even more captivated when he shared memories of filming the scene where Amell punched him in the face a few episodes down the line.

How Josh McDermitt Reacted When Learning About The Suits LA Premiere’s Twist

For those who might need a recap without watching the initial episode of Suits LA on Peacock, let me fill you in. Stuart and Ted were planning to merge their law firm with one run by Ted’s ex-girlfriend, Samantha. But during negotiations, Stuart felt wronged by Ted, leading him to secretly maneuver employees from Black Lane to Samantha’s firm without Ted knowing. Upon learning this for the first time, McDermitt shared his initial reaction.

protecting their relationship and establishing boundaries for their toxic interactions.

On the TV show Suits LA, it wasn’t just Stuart Lane who grew weary of Ted Black’s actions. Bryan Greenberg’s character, Rick Dodson, also expressed this sentiment and joined Stuart at another law firm. However, unlike Stuart, Lex Scott Davis’ character, Erica Rollins, chose to remain with Ted and assume the role of Head of Entertainment for Black & Associates. Though Stuart had a valid reason for distancing himself from Ted, his method could have been better, which caused an intriguing dilemma when it came for McDermitt to promote Suits LA. He went on to explain:

Upon reading it, I found myself thinking, ‘What an intriguing turn of events in the middle!’ And what makes it fascinating is that during the build-up to the show, we couldn’t discuss such details due to spoiler concerns. Given my experience with The Walking Dead, keeping secrets isn’t a problem for me, but everyone seemed eager to discuss irrelevant matters. They’d ask about who had the larger office between myself and Stephen, or if I was playing any tricks with Stuart and Ted. All the while, I was thinking, ‘I work at a different firm and can’t even mention this.’

The promotions for Suits LA were quite clever in concealing the fact that it would be depicting individuals at two law firms rather than one. This meant that Josh McDermitt had to be extra cautious not to reveal this unexpected development while interacting with the media. However, he found amusement in the surprised reactions to this twist, which was only revealed much later after he filmed the pilot episode. In his own words:

It was amusing because I’d forgotten that we’d only just begun filming, which seemed like a distant memory at that point. Seeing it again and observing everyone’s response was quite thrilling. It definitely took everyone by surprise.

In summary, we’ve discussed the events of “Suits LA”‘s premiere, entitled “Seven Days a Week and Twice on Sunday.” Later, in the episode titled “You’re on Your Own,” the conflict between Stuart and Ted escalated to the point where Ted ended up punching Stuart.

What It Was Like For Josh McDermitt To Be Punched In The Face By Stephen Amell

The punch was exchanged when Ted arrived at Stuart’s workplace, accusing Stuart of disclosing Valerie Thompson’s divorce records from Lester, who was standing trial for murder, to the media. Stuart denied this, and their disagreement escalated into a physical altercation. Eventually, in response to being struck in the face, Stuart lunged at Ted and landed a punch on his ribs, as Josh McDermitt explained when I asked him about getting punched by Amell.

To clarify, it’s not uncommon for me to get hit in the face during filming, often because the person hitting me is inexperienced, specifically with regards to stunt work. However, both Stephen and I have a good amount of experience with stunts, although he has more than I did. In the Walking Dead, my character was usually shielded by someone else, making it smooth, swift, and effortless.

McDermitt pointed out that Stephen Amell’s extensive stunt background stemmed from his role as Oliver Queen in “Arrow.” However, he wasn’t shy on action scenes when portraying Eugene on “The Walking Dead” either. Interestingly, both actors found it comfortable working together during the scene, and McDermitt commented that their performance was smooth.

Previously, we found ourselves well-practiced in this task, having executed it numerous times before. It was swift and effortless, and surprisingly enjoyable as neither of us anticipated such an action on our legal drama series. We merely assumed this is what we would do; one moment there’s a punch thrown, the next a spear tackle, and it turned out to be quite thrilling.

Despite Stuart and Ted improving their relationship after the Lester Thompson trial, Josh McDermitt stated in a later interview that there’s still some unresolved tension between the characters. He used the term “seeds of reconciliation” to describe their current state, suggesting that while they aren’t as hostile towards each other anymore, it doesn’t necessarily mean all issues have been addressed. Whether this could lead to another physical fight remains uncertain. Tune in to the second half of Suits LA Season 1 on Sundays at 9 pm ET to find out more.

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2025-04-05 22:08