Apparently I’m the only person not flabbergasted by Patrick J. Adams‘ nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award. I’m not surprised. I’m not bothered. I’m over here with my party hat on.
Yes, I know that there are at least a dozen people whose names could be in that category. I’m not going to waste space arguing that they’re not worthy. I’m a Timothy Olyphant fan for crying out loud. But it got me a little ornery to read people taking out their frustrations at the omissions by taking shots at Patrick, whose work as Mike Ross on USA’s Suits has earned the recognition.
Mike as written is the unmotivated boy wonder. He’s that guy who has talent coming out of his ears, but can’t be bothered to do anything with it. You’ve seen that guy on other shows before; in fact, you probably know that guy. This is not the most groundbreaking role on television.
All that is to say that in someone else’s hands, Mike could have failed spectacularly as a character. He could have been profoundly boring, paint-by-numbers, and dragged the show down with him. As played by Patrick, he not only didn’t fail, but he became pretty damn well interesting, and always evolving.
In the pilot, Mike was largely just interested in himself … in getting paid, and later in avoiding the cops and whatever punishment they’d mete out. By the season finale, he’d become passionate about helping others, even telling Harvey to step out of the room so that he could level with Clifford Danner. He matured and learned when he made mistakes. At the end, he was a very different person than he had been when we’d begun.
Yet he could also be immature and stupid, like needing Harvey to keep him from getting arrested for breaking and entering. Those flaws made Mike three-dimensional. They fleshed him out. His journey was a realistic one, with detours and growing pains. We saw him as a complete individual, understanding who he had been, who he was, and who he could be.
Now, there must be due credit given for the above to Aaron Korsh and the Suits writing staff, of course, but they can only do so much. They can’t lend the words conviction or infuse the actions with soul. I felt as if Mike Ross were a living, breathing person, not just a figment of someone else’s imagination. That’s not writing; that’s the work of the actor. Here’s an actor who has truly invigorated a character.
His great performances are more worthwhile when one factors in what circumstances they were under. It’s not just his standout performances, it’s how disciplined and talented he was to achieve those results. He was in his first season, that time in which everyone is still getting acquainted with everyone else, and throwing ideas up against the wall to see what sticks. He was also in his first stint as a series regular. Before Suits, he hadn’t appeared in more than two episodes of a TV series. Now he was not only a regular, but he was the co-lead. That all adds up to hardly smooth sailing, yet Patrick didn’t just survive, he also delivered week after week.
To reach that high level of acting where it feels like real life, and to be able to do so in a markedly short span and under that kind of pressure, demonstrates a capacity that certainly is deserving of being named amongst the best.
I’ve seen what Patrick can do firsthand. I’ve sat literally feet away from him while he brought me to tears in a play called 9 Circles last month. I’ve talked with him multiple times about the play and about Suits, and come to understand how thoughtful he is about things like purpose and process. I’ve gotten to know him personally, and he’s a true gentleman. Just being around him has inspired me. I know all that doesn’t factor into the nomination, but it cements my belief that he deserves it.
And I like the nomination on principle: for breaking that tendency of awards shows to pick the same people over and over again, especially if it gives me hope that someone on a USA original series not named Tony Shalhoub might win something someday.
If there’s anything I’m perplexed about, it’s that Patrick’s co-star Gabriel Macht isn’t on the ballot beside him. Both of them have been brilliant, and I’m so used to seeing them as a team. But I’ll live with that. I don’t feel the need to tear anyone else down because of it.
I’m content to be happy with the nomination for someone who should have quite a few more in his future.
Clacked by Brittany Frederick 
on Dec 15, 2011 @ 14:58 EST5EDT
I’m glad that he got recognized as well. His role isn’t showy, but right from the first episode, I was drawn into his character and cared about him. Plus bonus points for being Canadian ;)