Patrick Ball, who plays Dr Frank Langdon in the HBO Max medical drama The Pitt, has revealed that the show helped him pay off $80,000 (£59,615) of student debt. The 36-year-old actor told Cultured magazine that clearing the debt was a “profound moment” after he had believed he would “die with it”.
Ball, who studied broadcast journalism and later earned a BFA from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, said his financial insecurity had been a burden in past relationships. “I was $80,000 in debt and I had been through a series of failed relationships where my financial insecurity was a real problem,” he said.
The actor dropped out of university initially to pursue acting, later earning a Certificate in Drama from Yale. He described paying off the loans as “a huge burden to carry” and said he felt freed even if the show did not continue. “If this show works, great. If it doesn’t work, they can’t take that away from me. I am out of debt,” he added.
The Pitt, which follows one shift per series in a Pittsburgh emergency room, won three Emmys last year, including Outstanding Drama Series. Series two is currently airing weekly in the UK, and a third series has been commissioned, though Dr Samira Mohan’s character will not return.
