Patrick Ball owes his current success to Max’s hit TV series, “The Pitt.” In a recent interview, the 36-year-old revealed how his role on the show enabled him to escape a crushing $80,000 debt. Patrick Ball made his Broadway debut in ‘Becky Shaw’. MEGA. Ball recently debuted on Broadway as Andrew in “Becky Shaw,” a dark comedy where a disastrous first date triggers a chain reaction among a circle of emotionally fragile adults dealing with intricate problems. In his Cultured Magazine interview, Ball described his time in the production as “bittersweet,” reminiscing about his theater-kid roots. “I’m thrilled to reclaim my days and hang out in the park, but rehearsal is my absolute favorite spot in the universe.” It’s something you don’t really see in movies or TV. “I absolutely love the tinkering aspect of theater, and I’m kind of sad that it’s going to end,” he said. How Did Patrick Ball Become Involved in ‘Becky Shaw’ on Broadway? MEGA. While Ball is portraying Andrew, a 31-year-old office manager aspiring to a successful writing career, he revealed that he was initially attracted to the role of Max, a cocky New York City financial advisor. “Most of my career, I’d be playing the bull in the china shop—the overtly aggressive asshole that you realize may not be an asshole,” he said. But after discussions with the show’s director and writer, Ball said he viewed his character differently. “Then I spent a week with the play and came back, like, ‘Now that I look a little closer at this Andrew guy, there’s a sort of insidious, performative nice-guy thing here that’s very layered and very interesting and something I actually think I need to talk about right now,'” he added. There’s a reason Ball felt closely aligned to the role of Max. MEGA. The more time Ball spends with the production, the more he recognizes the script’s deeper complexities. “I didn’t realize how funny the play was from the page, but this whole conversation around overt aggression versus covert aggression—the assumption that this person is a sweetie pie, your best friend, who rubs your back and tells you everything you want to hear, but is secretly taking over your life and emotionally blackmailing you—that’s an interesting thing to talk about,” he shared. Ball said the show’s aggressive nature is something he’s familiar with in real life. I truly believe that clarity is a form of kindness, so I strive to be direct with others.
