Patrick Ball’s leap from surviving to thriving
Patrick Ball has opened up about his life before The Pitt. A time in his life that felt like he was spiralling financially and emotionally.
In an interview with Cultured magazine, Ball broke down as he shared how the role of Dr. Langdon allowed him to pay off $80,000 in student loans.
“I paid off my student loans like three months into The Pitt, and that was a really profound moment because I thought I was gonna die with it,” Ball said.
“It’s a huge burden to carry, and a lot of people carry it. I had been through failed relationships, and financial insecurity was a real problem. I just thought that was going to be my life forever. It’s a really heavy thing to live with.”
He Remembers, “Paying off those student loans and getting back to zero—I thought, ‘If this show works, great. If it doesn’t, they can’t take that away from me. I am out of debt. No take-backsies on that.’”
As one of the many breakout stars on The Pitt, His performance earned him a Critics’ Choice Television Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, as well as a SAG Award as part of the ensemble cast alongside Emmy winner Noah Wyle.
But before the show changed his life, Ball’s reality was much less glamorous.
“The financial outlook can be bleak. I was looking for an off-ramp,” he told Cultured, recalling a time when his then-girlfriend’s father tried to convince him to join the FBI.
Ball was working four jobs just to get by: at a coffee shop, a restaurant, as a wardrobe assistant on And Just Like That, and even acting in corporate coaching seminars.
Patrick Ball proves that oftentimes, the toughest roles are the ones life gives you before the cameras even roll.
