Successful shows change a lot for people around the world, and no different was the case for actor Patrick Ball, who ended up paying off 80,000 USD in student loan debt after being cast in HBO Max’s The Pitt. The actor was able to breathe a sigh of relief after taking off that burden from his back.
Patrick Ball shares the benefits of landing a successful role in The Pitt
While speaking with Cultured Mag, the actor revealed how his role helped him to make better financial decisions in life, including a major one that many common people struggle with. Talking about clearing his student debt, the actor shared, “I paid off my student loans like three months into The Pitt, and that was a really profound moment ‘cause I thought I was gonna die with it. It’s a huge burden to carry, and a lot of people carry it. I was 80,000 USD in debt.”
The gravity of the situation was not lost on the actor, who opened up about facing difficulties in romantic relationships due to his insatiable income in the past, “I had been through a series of failed relationships where my financial insecurity was a real problem. I had just thought that was going to be my life forever, and that is a really heavy thing to live with. Paying off those student loans and getting back to zero, I remember being like, ‘Man, if this show works, great. If it doesn’t work, they can’t take that away from me. I am out of debt. No take-backsies on that’.”
Prior to playing ER resident Dr Langdon, he picked up odd jobs like getting fired multiple times by companies that wanted an actor to step in for the difficult training. His casting for The Pitt changed that for the star. He shared, “[The companies] would want to teach these young administrators how to have difficult conversations, à la how to fire somebody. They would bring me in as an actor so that these administrators could get practice firing someone. So I have been fired more than anyone you’ve ever met, I promise you. I’ve been fired thousands of times. And then the call for The Pitt came in, and everything was different.”
The Pitt has been renewed for a third season, expected to be released sometime in 2027.
