
Happy New Year's Eve to all of our listeners! To end the year, right, Sarah and Patrick check in with each other, and with all of you. They discuss memorable New Years memories, talk about what they want in 2025, and answer more of your questions. Thank you again to everyone for listening. We are so grateful to you all!
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Sarah
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Patrick
When you learn French, where are you gonna go first?
Sarah
Listen, I'm gonna go back to Paris, and the first thing I'm gonna do with my kids with my new facility in French is I'm gonna take them to all the flea markets and then I'm gonna order all the things on all the menus at all the restaurants. Perfectly.
Patrick
Who would you gift a lifetime membership to?
Sarah
I'd gift it to you. I want you to come to Paris with me.
Patrick
I need it. Please gift it to me.
Sarah
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Sarah
S.A.
Patrick
Hi, I'm Patrick.
Sarah
And I'm Sarah.
Patrick
And this is sidebar, our Suits Watch podcast.
Sarah
So we're still on break from our normal programming, but we wanted to give you a little special something for the holidays. Happy New Year's Eve, Patrick.
Patrick
Happy New Year's Eve, Sarah. Yes, this week we are going to be answering some more of your questions because we just recently did that. We had a really good time doing it.
Sarah
I think it might be my new favorite thing.
Patrick
But first, can we just. Can we just check in here for a second? Let's just take a breath.
Sarah
Hi.
Patrick
It's been a long year.
Sarah
It has been long.
Patrick
Let's breathe it out. Let's just breathe it out. God.
Sarah
Enjoy the episode. Bye.
Patrick
Good luck, guys.
Sarah
Good luck out there. 20, 25. Good luck.
Patrick
Why do balls drop?
Sarah
Why do balls drop? Why do the.
Patrick
What is the ball dropping? I don't know a thing about that.
Sarah
We've debated this so much.
Patrick
Like, should we ask? Can we ask AI?
Sarah
Yeah, you can ask AI. I mean, I have opinions for my whole life.
Patrick
Why is the ball drop during New Year's?
Sarah
The tradition of the ball drop on New Year's Eve in Times Square started in 1907.
Patrick
It was inspired by the time balls.
Sarah
Used in the 19th century.
Patrick
So the time balls would drop at.
Sarah
A specific time every day, allowing ship's navigators to set their instruments accurately. The New Year's Eve ball drop in Times Square was created as a visual time signal to mark the stroke of midnight and the start of the new year.
Patrick
It's become an iconic celebration watched by millions around the world.
Sarah
Okay, so what I'm hearing is balls drop and then you set your instrument.
Patrick
I don't know that my balls have dropped yet. Still looking to set the instrument. That's interesting. I didn't know that about the ball dropping. I didn't know about that. It was, like, a thing other than New Year's that makes it way more interesting.
Sarah
Or that it came from, like, navigation.
Patrick
Yeah, navigation. I think it all comes from navigation, doesn't it?
Sarah
Well, what I think. Listen, let's get into it for a second.
Patrick
I'm listening.
Sarah
I remember growing up with waiting to watch the ball drop and kind of feeling like, hmm. You and Troian actually once went to Times Square, right?
Patrick
I went to Times Square after 9, 11. I went the year after because I'd never done it before. And I went with my girlfriend at the time. Didn't know Troyan, obviously, and it was pretty an amazing time to be there for that, but it's crazy.
Sarah
But Troian also told me a story about how she, like, snuck out or something from a family vacation with a friend and went down into.
Patrick
I think maybe that. Yeah, separate. Like, we're not together. But yeah, she did it once, too. Yeah.
Sarah
Well, I grew up watching that. We would always spend our New Year's in Vermont, and then we would watch that on, like, a little TV and go to sleep. And I always honestly was like, I don't get it. And I've kind of figured it out now. Now that I'm, like, in the middle of my life, I need on New Year's, I need New Year's to be quiet and soulful and, like, a warmth. Like, I need to be with my family in front of the fire or in a walk in the woods, in the snow, in the quiet and, like, reading poetry. I really need it to not be a big party event.
Patrick
What poet? What Are you reading? Is this a Mary Oliver by the fire?
Sarah
Yes. Yeah, a little Mary Oliver.
Patrick
A good cry.
Sarah
I don't know if it's a cry. I just feel like I crave a stillness when the time passes. Maybe it's me needing to stop so that the time can pass.
Patrick
Best New Year's ever of your life. Go. Don't think about it.
Sarah
Oh, that's so easy. Go. I went to Bhutan with Santu, and we tracked.
Patrick
How old are we? How old are we?
Sarah
We are probably 33, 34.
Patrick
Okay.
Sarah
And we were in the Himalayas the night of New Year's Eve with a team of. Of horsemen. And then New Year's Day. For me, New Year's Day was about the trek that we had. And I could see. I could see the mountains. I was in the mountains. I could see the mountains. I could see the trees. I could smell the horses and hear the horses. And I felt like, obviously that was a once in a lifetime trip, but that experience is what I need to have kind of on a much smaller scale now, is just the walk with loved ones and the fire and the introspection. And then I can maybe. Because something about the passage of time is. It can make you feel an ache of grief with the passage of time, of course, and maybe some anxiety for what lies ahead, but also this gratitude for what has passed and for what is to come, and that you just get more time, I think. And gathering in that kind of quiet, shared space in nature was the pinnacle of that for me.
Patrick
That's beautiful. That's really nice. It's from the heart.
Sarah
Making fun of me.
Patrick
I'm not making fun of you. It's similar to what I do, what I want to do for New Year's. I like to park my car, like, just outside your house and watch you by the fire and read poetry mostly write poetry while I sort of hunch down in my seat, make sure you don't see me there. And then just sort of fall asleep.
Sarah
I like to drink so hard. I bar up on New Year's.
Patrick
Once upon a time. My favorite New Year's.
Sarah
Yeah.
Patrick
Thank you for asking.
Sarah
I'm sorry. I was about to get there. Sorry. I'm joking.
Patrick
No, I'm joking. I'm joking.
Sarah
I'm still in Bhutan. Hold on a second.
Patrick
Come back from Bhutan.
Sarah
I got to come back from Bhutan.
Patrick
We were for the year 2000 y2k, which was a big deal. Kids when it happened, we all thought the world was going to fall apart. We went to Guatemala with my dad and my Sisters, post divorce. And so it was like one of those trips, you know, it was like we didn't get a lot of time with my dad, and we went to a Mayan temple, and we watched the sun set on the last day of the year of the sun. This is what I mean. Yeah, it was great. And then we all, like, had this big party, all these bonfires just outside to call the. The park we were at for actual midnight. People dancing by fires and stuff, and it was amazing. And then we woke up and watched the sun rise from the same temple.
Sarah
Oh, my God.
Patrick
In the new millennium. That was the craziest. Doesn't get any better than touch, touch, touch, touch, touch, touch. Just the tips. Just the tips.
Sarah
So this reminds me of a peak experience that I had in 2024.
Patrick
What's that?
Sarah
That I'm gonna always treasure, which is that I got to travel to Malta. You also went to Malta this year I traveled to Malta with Oona and Iris, who are the best travel partners in the world. And we did go to a Neolithic temple that was lined up for the solstices with the doors facing. The doors of the temple facing. And to like, walk in those spaces where all that kind of. I don't know, like, organic human worship.
Patrick
I don't know, organic human worship. I had a band. That was my band in college.
Sarah
I've decided to drop out of the podcast because I am such a geek and I say the nerdiest things when I'm with you.
Patrick
This is good stuff.
Sarah
Would you like me to recite some Mary Oliver on this New Year's Eve?
Patrick
Can you.
Sarah
Can you?
Patrick
From memory. Oh, man. That was gonna be.
Sarah
No. But I am a bride married to amazement. I just am.
Patrick
We're gonna put Sarah's Mary Oliver readers behind a paywall. You have to pay dearly for those. Before we get into this, do you have any. Do you have any goals for the New Year's? I mean, I know that's a. That's a personal question or professional goals. I don't know, just things you're looking to.
Sarah
Are you asking me how much away.
Patrick
I'm glad we got right down to it, Sarah. How much do you weigh? The people need to know.
Sarah
Yeah, I think my goal. Thank you for asking. I think my goal is related to all that cheese that I just shared, which is.
Patrick
I thought it was going to be cheese related.
Sarah
I mean, eat more cheese. We don't know how long Gouda is going to exist, so we got to keep eating the Gouda.
Patrick
But I'm Going to hoard Gouda, then. Good to know.
Sarah
Yeah.
Patrick
Yeah, go on.
Sarah
No, I think so. I think my goal has to do with finding more of that quiet that I recognize that I crave on the random day of the year when we turn a calendar and mark time, I think I want to find that more of that space and expansiveness because that brings a presence that has been very hard to find this year, especially, like, in the hecticness of everything, which I know that you're going through right now.
Patrick
And stillness. Some quiet. Hey, take another breath. Let's take another breath quick. I don't know why you're laughing. I'm just trying to take an honest breath here.
Sarah
What are your goals? Do you.
Patrick
Very related to yours. I want to calm it down. It's been an amazing year. Doing this podcast with you has been amazing. I feel like it's been a year of. Of, you know, I'm doing this other show now. Like, I'm like, things are so grateful for how so much is going, but it comes at a cost. It comes at a cost with friends and family, you know, So I want to. It's always balance. I'm looking for balance. I want to continue to expand and try new things and, you know, strip away fear and insecurity and keep going, but at the same time, like, spend good time with the people I love. My kids, these amazing little girls are getting so big so, so fast. So it's really about not getting so lost in the hectic and missing that, you know, I've sadly had to miss a lot of it this year. Amazing opportunities. I hope that next year I can find a way to balance it a little bit better.
Sarah
Yeah, I so heartily support that. As somebody who's in this process of actually pre grieving the departure of Una, because she's in 11th grade, it was really important for me to go find the Christmas tree with her. And then she had to carve out time to put some ornaments on the tree with me. And I could tell that she felt it, too. She was like, I'm not gonna get it this. Huh? I'm gonna. We've got next year, and then I'm going to be in college when we're decorating the tree. And I kind of looked at her and was like, nope, we're going to make sure that you're home. We do it when you're home. So we've got to find a way to do it over Thanksgiving or whatever, but. Oh, my God, Patrick.
Patrick
Yeah, I can tell. I can tell. We're in it. Like I'm in the pocket right now and I'm just watching them be the cutest creatures on earth. And they're so into everything. They're showing everything, but they're into Christmas. They're making lists. They love just having people around and playing with the tree and just having us there. So that's why every time I gotta walk out the door, go do something, it's. Yeah, it's hard.
Sarah
I'll tell you, I'm super grateful for sidebar. This year, 2024 was the year that sidebar was born. And this opportunity to do this with you has really filled my heart and been full of so many surprises and delights and just the laughs that we get to have, but also kind of these moments of connection. Connection.
Patrick
Thank you.
Sarah
That's good that it gets these moments of connection.
Patrick
And also, I don't know about you, but the older I get, the less time I have to talk to anybody. I don't get to sit and have two hour long conversations with most people. So as fun as it is to talk about suits and go over these episodes, it's great to sit, connect with somebody for a couple hours at a time and talk about this stuff and have fun, shed some tears, have some laughs, touch some tips.
Sarah
And it was great to talk to Gina this year and to connect with the best with Max and Abigail and talk to Aaron. And we've got more of that coming in the new year and we really look forward to that.
Patrick
But again, for this episode, we just thought we'd answer some questions as we head into the new year. So why don't we kick it off with a voice memo from Chloe?
Sarah
Great.
Patrick
Hey, my name is Chloe Collins and I've been a fan of suits for so long, I actually wrote a few songs inspired by the storylines of Donna and Harvey and Mike and Rachel. So I'm excited to hear about your favorite behind the scenes memories. Anything you stole from the set and any Easter eggs or inside jokes that were hidden in different episodes that maybe the fans don't know about. Chloe, call. You can't tell us you wrote songs about suits and then not give us the songs. So I, you know, what I'm going to do is I'm not answ any of your questions, Chloe, until you send songs, we're going to need you to send at least one, but hopefully more. And then, then I'll answer your questions. Together with millions of supporters, the Humane Society of the United States takes on puppy mills, factory farms, the fur trade, trophy hunting, animal cosmetics, testing and other cruel indust. They respond in critical moments of crisis when animals need immediate help. They're also laying the groundwork for change that can prevent tomorrow's cruelties by fighting for better laws, holding corporations accountable and tackling the worst animal abuses. But there's so much more that needs to be done and they need your help to protect all of the animals and prevent suffering. Animals struggling to survive cannot wait and neither should you. By donating today you can create a future where animals no longer suffer. Your contribution, no matter the size, has the power to change lives. Right now a limited time challenge fund can double your impact and go even further to help provide protection, care and life saving resources to animals in need. Donate today at www.humanesociety.org donations every dollar saves lives.
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Sarah
Hey Patrick, why is gift giving so enjoyable for you specifically?
Patrick
Well, Sarah, I'm happy you asked. You know what, it's great when you can get someone a gift that they wouldn't necessarily get for them. That little bit of luxury that they don't know that they're missing. And for quality gifts at an affordable price, there's Quince. Do you know what I got from Quincera?
Sarah
What did you get?
Patrick
A Mongolian cashmere fisherman full zip sweater.
Sarah
Oh, I bet that looks so good on you. What color is it?
Patrick
It's navy blue and it's incredible. The problem is I don't get to wear it much because Troyan has stolen it from me and I can't have it back. I love that this thing is so comfortable and she wears it all over the house and I might need to get another one so that I can wear one.
Sarah
I think I know what to get you for the holidays.
Patrick
The thing about Quint is that it lets you treat your loved ones and yourself to everyday luxury at an affordable price. From 14 karat gold jewelry to Italian leather handbags, all Quint's Items are priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands. So this holiday season, gift luxury without the luxury price tag go to quint.com sidebar for 365 day returns plus free shipping on your order that is Q U I N C E.com sidebar to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com sidebar now from Yvette. Yvette happens to be an ad. An admin for one of the largest suits fan Facebook groups. Oh, she says, thank you, Sarah and Patrick, for doing this. My name is Eyvette and I love the show. We have a Facebook Suits TV group that's 65,000 people strong. My question is one of pacing. Are the walk and talk scripted or did it develop as a way of moving the plot along? I think Patrick spoke about it in a recent episode. I wondered if this is a director preference or who exactly decides it. That's a really good question and I'm trying to remember off the cuff.
Sarah
It doesn't usually say prescriptively in the script that it is a walk and talk necessarily. Sometimes it does, but it's my feeling. But you're gonna speak much to this than me because you directed suits that. Correct me if I'm wrong. It has to do with how the director wants to move the episode along, right. With the transitions into those scenes with needing movement at that time, with the dynamics of it and with the transitions, the beginning and the end are.
Patrick
I'd be curious to look at the scripts because I feel like I'm not sure if early on, I think it might have been something we discovered in process. Maybe Kevin would pitch let's do this on the move. And then Aaron would see, oh, that was really. I don't think Aaron knew early enough that that was such a part of the show, these great walk and talks. And then I would imagine they probably started getting represented in the scripts a little bit later. I wouldn't be surprised if in later scripts it was written like Harvey and Mike are walking down the hall to the office because I think as Aaron discovered visual language that he liked, he would start including it in the script. But I don't remember for sure. I think there were definitely lots of times where it was. They're faster to shoot ultimately once you start doing them. So there might have been times in the day where it was like, can we do this as a walk and talk? Maybe a phone call goes down to la.
Sarah
Yeah.
Patrick
Hey, Aaron, we were wondering if we could do this scene as a walk and talk down at the office. Yeah, sure. That sounds okay to me. Let's go and do it. You know, I wouldn't be surprised if that happened a lot, too.
Sarah
And I would imagine those early ones that. Especially the ones that were shot in New York City, like walking down the stairs.
Patrick
Those are. Yeah.
Sarah
At the courthouse and down the street on Fifth. Fifth Avenue or whatever.
Patrick
That's a good point. That's probably what actually gave birth to the pop. Like, our wanting to use them so often was. Was the ones where we needed to do them because we were in New York and we wanted to use as much of the outside world as possible.
Sarah
Well, and I. I have a question back for you, Yvette. Your face group, suits group.
Patrick
Face group.
Sarah
Your face.
Patrick
Face group, suits group.
Sarah
Your face pages over there on the face pages. Your Suits TV group is 65,000 strong. Can we sync up with you guys? Can you guys all subscribe and follow and can we engage with you on a regular basis? We would love to.
Patrick
We want to have all 65,000 of you on the podcast at the same time.
Sarah
Kristen, what were you going to say? I see you over there in the booth.
Patrick
I have been engaging with them.
Sarah
Oh, a little bit. Thank you. So we've been back and forthing. That's how I actually engaged with Yvette.
Patrick
So she and I went back and forth a bit on the Facebook group, and she sent her question that way.
Sarah
Yeah. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Patrick
Of course.
Sarah
Thank you.
Patrick
Speaking of walking and talking, let's hear from Hannah in Australia who says. Loving the podcast so far. Thank you, Hannah. My question is for Sarah and Gina in the show. Jessica and Donna are always doing such strong power struts through the office in these insanely high heels. Were they comfortable, easy to walk in? They look painful. Or maybe I'm just not that glamorous. Anyway, I love suits and I love your podcast. How were those? He.
Sarah
They were. You know what? They were exciting to put on because they were fancy. Jolie made sure that we were wearing very fancy shoes because of the balance of the shoe she would show me. She would take like, a Louboutin shoe or a Jimmy's choo shoe and put it on a table and show that it wouldn't kind of fall over. It was like a Weebles wobbles doesn't quite fall over. Like, they're. They're really well made, beautifully designed.
Patrick
Okay.
Sarah
Okay. So it's like putting on like a. I imagine it's like when you get to drive race cars. Same thing. My shoes.
Patrick
Yeah. And perfectly designed.
Sarah
Perfectly designed. So walking in them actually wasn't that hard to do. It depended on the pacing. A lot of Times we would be with a guy who's in flats. And so, you know, I think that's what required some of the like sachet of the walk because that propelled you through space.
Patrick
That's kind of heels. I mean, I've never worn heels. I tried when I was a kid and it was so awkward. I don't understand how anybody walks in them. But sort of part of the deal of heels is that they make you walk a certain way. Right. And especially really good heels. They give you a swagger.
Sarah
They give you a swagger. I think the whole thing gave me a swagger as Donna. Like she walks differently than I do, obviously, but it's because of, you know, who buys the clothes for her. And also the underpinnings, to be perfectly honest. Like what was going on under the dresses has something to do with how you move, like those kinds of things. But yes, the shoes were amazing. And the truth is they do hurt. So now, you know, spending a day in heels at an event is an incredibly uncomfortable experience. Every woman knows that. But on suits, we took them off, right? We took them off. We would wear them.
Patrick
That's a behind the scenes thing. People should know is that basically the minute that someone yells cut on a.
Sarah
Set, a pair of Uggs gets blown in.
Patrick
Slippers are put right in front of you and you put em on. Even for. I think I wore running shoes almost 100% of the time when I didn't. When my feet weren't on. Cause dress shoes all day were pretty painful too. So. Yeah.
Sarah
And Gina was really smart. It was definitely not her first rodeo. She had like these. Speaking of balls. These like. She had special, special wooden devices that she could massage her feet on set with, like to keep them kind of healthy.
Patrick
She had a whole bunch of cool.
Sarah
Things she did and she remembered.
Patrick
Do you remember that thing she had? There's a picture of it that I think I've posted on our sidebar Instagram. It was the thing that. Where she didn't. Because she couldn't really sit in some of those dresses effectively. Right. And she had that amazing carpentry, built that for her wooden stand where she could lean backward on it. And I have a picture of her, I think, reading in it. So you could take some of the weight off and just not be standing all day. But you weren't sitting all the way down. I'd never seen that before.
Sarah
No, me neither. Me neither. And that was Gina. She was right to do that with her feet because I do feel like. I'm not kidding I need to go to a podiatrist because I do think all those years on the show did a little something to my feet.
Patrick
Yeah, yeah.
Sarah
That I need to get fixed.
Patrick
Anyway, I think that answers Hannah's question.
Sarah
Yeah. Yeah. Let's see here. In an earlier episode, Patrick, we asked about how real lawyers might react to legal situations on the show, and Yong Esquire reached out to us to let us know his thoughts. After becoming a lawyer, I realized that a lot of the legal jargon and procedures, sans how quickly everything developed and resolved, were pretty accurate. Little things that might not be something that real lawyers would do or would occur in a real courtroom didn't really bother me to the point that they took me out of the show. One small thing that did surprisingly bother me a bit was how all the lawyers kept their suit jackets on all the time. Lol. I can't speak for all lawyers, but I would guess we all like to feel comfortable. I never have my suit jacket on unless I have to go to court or to some sort of formal hearing or something. I don't know how this lowly Gainesville, Florida attorney's opinion will stack up, but I loved the show, and I'm glad to see that it's getting a resurgence. Thank you for the podcast.
Patrick
Thank you, Young Esquire. I couldn't agree more. I think we often wanted to take our jackets off, but it just became a part of language of the show. It was like the look.
Sarah
It was the look.
Patrick
It was the look. And it was. You have scenes where you're there during the day and you're being very professional in the middle of stuff. And then you have scenes when you're at nighttime and you're working late or nobody's around. And in order to distinguish those scenes, you're like, well, those are the scenes where you take your jacket off.
Sarah
Did you?
Patrick
Yeah. There would be definitely times, like if Harvey and Mike are in the office working late, like, we'd probably take our jackets off and undo the ties and look like we had been up for a while doing our thing. But if you were ever in the middle of the day in a normal law office, I guess people would take their jackets off, but for us, that would look too relaxed in a TV show.
Sarah
Yeah. I also think there was a massive suspension of disbelief with the clothes on suits.
Patrick
Sure.
Sarah
I mean, nothing.
Patrick
It's all heightened.
Sarah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Totally. In the best way possible.
Patrick
And I think it's like that on most shows, you know, but. But I'd love to see a Legal show where everybody's dressed, I guess. You know, actually a good point is when, when. Later on. Spoiler alert. When. When Mike goes off to work at the other law firm towards the end of the show. And it's a lot more. It's not as fancy a law firm. I think I was never really wearing a jacket in that place.
Sarah
Oh, that's interesting.
Patrick
You know, this is a very fancy law firm. I don't know where you work young. I'm sure it's fancy too, but this is supposed to be like the best law firm in New York City kind of a thing. So that has a lot to do with it.
Sarah
But it's really helpful to hear where he says that the little things that might not be something that real lawyers would actually do didn't bother him enough to take him out of the story. Which that's really incredible feedback, especially for. I mean, I'm sure Aaron knows this, but like, you know, he was making those choices to walk that line and Yong is saying that it didn't distract him. So thanks for letting us know.
Patrick
Very good.
Sarah
It was super fun. Thank you. Thank you.
Patrick
Rhea has a question about how we shoot scenes. So when you have to do multiple runs for a scene so that there's a version of the camera in front and a camera behind, how do you remember any actions you did in the first version? Do you look back at it and replicate it or is it something you've practiced? I'm assuming it's the former for improv scenes. And then two when there's multiple cameras set up across the room. Firstly, how come we don't see them? And secondly, how hard is it to act with your whole body? Is it like theater days when you need to emphasize everything a bit more? Because we don't get many close ups to see your faces or other small actions. There's like 12 great questions in here, Ria. Such good questions. I'll tackle number one. So there's somebody who's very important on the set called a script supervisor. And it's their job to make sure that things remain consistent from moment to moment, scene to scene. And we had an amazing script supervisor on suits at all times. And so if you were shooting a scene where you did one camera setup and you had a bunch of behavior and moved your hands at a certain place and picked up a bag at some place and put your jacket on a certain line, I think if you act long enough, you get pretty good at just remembering what you just did. And then if you forget, that person will Come in very quickly and tell you, no, no, no, you have to put your jacket on this line. Otherwise it won't work in the edit.
Sarah
And what I'm finding right now, like, on the show that I'm on, the Walter boys, we don't have as long to shoot as we did with suits. So I always ask, after we shoot a master, which is the big wide shot where you can kind of see as much as you can in one direction, we have a dialogue with our script supervisor. Which one are we matching? So that we still have time to explore different behaviors the first few times. And then we. And don't lock in what we're doing. And then when it's locked in, they choose that one, and we know which one we're matching. So it is important to do that. So you're really, really onto something there. It's such a great question. Thank you.
Patrick
I am currently working with the best script supervisor I've ever worked with in my life. But we don't get.
Sarah
Tell me why.
Patrick
She's just amazing. I mean, she remembers every. Everything, every detail. And you do it one time, and it's like she's already got it all there. And we actually don't get that a lot. You get a wide, and then that's it. If you really needed to change something, you could. There's no, like, no one's going to tell you no, but you. You, like, do the big wide, and everybody's like, yeah, that's good. Let's move on. And then you're sort of married to that. It's been amazing to work with someone who's that on top of it, though. It's a great question, though. And then the multiple cameras of it all, you do different setups. So when you shoot a scene, like Sarah just said, you start with a wide. Maybe a lot of times you'll start with a wide because it's the furthest away, and the performance is sort of the least important in the wide because you're not really going to use it for more than the beginning and the end of a scene most of the time. And then you'll start pushing in for what they call coverage when they'll start shooting. You know, if I. If we were doing Sarah and I doing a scene here, the cameras would kind of all be here looking at Sarah, and we'd shoot that scene and make her side of the scene and make sure we got it. And then we'd turn around, is what they say, and they'd put all the cameras on that side of the room and all the lights on that side of the room and shoot this way. So that's why you would never obviously see a camera. You're not usually shooting them at the same time. Sometime you'll do something called cross shooting, where you will shoot both of our coverage at the same time. But that's a little bit tricky to do because you can't have too many lights. So if you're shooting a show that doesn't rely on a lot of lights, then you could pull it off, and.
Sarah
I always appreciate that. When one camera is behind you shooting your scene partner, they tell you whether they would like it to be dirty or not, which means they want a piece of your body, some of your hair showing, your shoulder showing, so that you're knit together in the scene. And sometimes they want the other person to stand alone.
Patrick
I love it dirty.
Sarah
Yeah, it's really good dirty.
Patrick
I mean, we couldn't help it.
Sarah
Thank you for the question, Rhea. Thank you so much.
Patrick
Thank you. Ria. Great questions.
Sarah
Oh, wait, no, she had another question in here.
Patrick
Oh, and then there was the theater days.
Sarah
How do you act with your whole body? This is such a great question. It does. We do adjust, obviously, for the size of the shot. Right. For the framing of the shot. You can adjust your behavior for sure.
Patrick
Yeah. The tighter. I mean, again, it's weird to actually talk about stuff like this because I don't actually even think about it anymore. But, yes, if I know that a camera's really close up on me, I think I just naturally realized that anything I do, any small movement, will read bigger, versus if you're in a big wide, you're not gonna notice, like, the tiny look I do with my eyes. So I sort of think if you were to cut to this size, this. This big wide, and there's this moment where I do something big, like throw a piece of trash in the trash can or whatever. I'm like, well, this is a scene. This is a shot where this might play. And therefore, I'm being bigger in this moment. But if it's about us connecting in a moment, I'm like, they're never gonna be shooting. They're never gonna use that big, wide shot where we're very small in the frame, you know?
Sarah
And if you've been listening to this podcast, we have talked about these kinds of things when we've talked a lot about Rick's performance, because he does use his whole body. You know, especially in Identity Crisis, there were these really subtle inhabiting his whole body, like his whole body would feel ashamed in a moment or anything like that. So I do think you always have your whole body working for you. Even if it is that tight shot on your face. Your body is doing its thing which is responding to the truth at the moment. You're having a visceral response in some way. So it's there for you to support the performance, even if it's really just about your eyes.
Patrick
100. 100%.
Sarah
Thank you for the question.
Patrick
Great question. And then we have a question from Angela.
Sarah
Hi, I'm wondering how the office elevators worked in the studio you used in Toronto. Did the elevator just stand still when you filmed there or did you use an actual elevator from a multi level building? How did this feel? Was it weird? Best regards. Even from Norway.
Patrick
Even.
Sarah
Even from Norway. Thank you for contacting us from Norway. Did you get chocolates in your.
Patrick
Did you put candies in your clogs?
Sarah
I don't know if it's Sweden. I don't know. We could be saying something offensive.
Patrick
Do you know that there's one person who listens to our podcast in Greenland? Oh, did you know that there's one person who listens to every episode in Greenland? Only one person. First of all, we need more people in Greenland, but thank you for being.
Sarah
The one flying the flag.
Patrick
But I looked at like our metrics or whatever and there is a one listener who downloads download. So I just want to say whoever you are, we are grateful to you. We hope you continue to listen and we're going to come visit you in Greenland so that we can do a one on one interview a a large event live podcast with one audience member. This is a great question about elevators. They are fake elevators. So if you see us, there's the set that we used to shoot in downtown Toronto at Bay and Adelaide, which is the big glass walls and you can see the traffic in the background. Obviously we are in a. So if you see us get into that elevator, that is a real elevator that as soon as the doors close they yell cut and opens again and we come out. And then if you see us coming out of the elevators in Pearson Spector, Pearson, Hartman Pearson, whatever it is at the time you're watching it, those are just rooms with doors that slide and the doors never work properly and there's always two grips who are getting mad at each other because the doors aren't closing properly. But yeah, fake elevators. There's a.
Sarah
The tour that we did that both.
Patrick
Of you kind of hosted when I.
Sarah
Came up to set to set maybe season four you can see those elevators pretty clearly.
Patrick
Pretty clearly on that tour. Yeah, it's online. Can I tell you a Dustin Hoffman story?
Sarah
Always.
Patrick
I remember the one in a television elevator.
Sarah
Okay.
Patrick
This is, like, one of my favorite stories, just about actors, you know, and how we. You know, an actor that loves to act. We were shooting in an elevator. It was like 11:00 at night. You know, he's an old guy. This is Dustin often. He's been doing this for a long time. We're not in the middle of shooting some really interesting scene or some, you know, digging into great dialogue. Like it's a sequence where we're coming in and out of an elevator or something. And at one point, I am in the elevator with him alone. And I'm sort of standing behind him and he's in front of me. And they're making sure that the electronics in the elevator work. So the floor numbers are changing on the fake panel because it, you know, it makes it look like you're in a real elevator. So it goes from 1 to 15 or whatever. And he's just standing there quietly. He's not talking and he's watching the numbers change on the elevator. And when it gets to the floor that we're supposed to be on, which I think is like 15 or whatever, he does this little body movement. Oh, this little, like, elevator has slowed down body movement. And we're not even shooting. The cameras are not rolling. They're just testing it. And he's just sitting there doing it. And you see an actor who's done amazing things, right? Like, he's done everything. He could be bored. He could be in his trailer. He could be counting the minutes before he leaves. He's standing there in that moment, figuring.
Sarah
Out how to act.
Patrick
Figuring out how to act. An elevator moving. And at one point, he sees. He feels me watching him behind him. Cause I'm just taking this in. And he just turns around with this look on his face, this big smile, and he goes. He points at the little numbers changing. He goes, pretty cool, huh?
Sarah
Oh, my gosh.
Patrick
And I was like, that's the real deal. So cool. Yeah, I was like that. Of all the. You have all the things in the world, you've accomplished it all. And you're still stoked about the imaginary. The material that's happening when these little numbers changing in a fake elevator.
Sarah
Yeah. Too. You're still stoked to tell the story on all levels.
Patrick
I always try and remember that when I'm, like, on set and I'm watching the clock and I'm like, I just want to go home. And like, no, I thought the story.
Sarah
Was going in a different direction. I thought he was going to be like, frame it out, shoot the dialogue, like, we gotta go home.
Patrick
He loved it.
Sarah
And here you are.
Patrick
Yeah, it's all about like that's what.
Sarah
I want to bring to the news.
Patrick
Of the best are the people who are always, you know, they, they, when it's time to go home, they need to be told to go home.
Sarah
Yeah.
Patrick
Not because they want to go home. It's like, no, you need to go rest now so we do this more tomorrow. It's like, oh man, I want to stay.
Sarah
I was having fun.
Patrick
I want to do more. Yeah. So let's bring that energy.
Sarah
But it's also the attention to the small micro moments like that. I was saying about wanting to find that more in the new year, whether it's in your personal life, whether it's in work, just those kinds of little delicious joys.
Patrick
Totally, totally. Thank you, Dustin Hoffman. I hope it's okay. I told that story somewhere.
Sarah
Thank you, Angela.
Unknown
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Patrick
All right, I think we have last one coming up. Yeah, tell us about it.
Sarah
Oh, the last one is a voice memo from Oscar.
D
Hey there Sarah. Hey Patrick. My name is Oscar. I'm out from Washington state and I couldn't be more excited for this new suits sidebar. This is fantastic. I am a very, very, very big Suits fan. I have probably seen all nine seasons a solid like 10 times. Honestly, it's a very comfort show. I'd have it on in the background nonetheless, just, just such a big fan of everything. Harvey and Mike, Don and Lewis, everyone, the whole firm. But how everyone intertwines with each other. And so again, I wanted to just send out a voice memo and let you guys know how big of a fan I am and how excited I am to be hearing Suits from another perspective right after all these years. But also I wanted to let you guys know that this isn't just a show for me. This isn't, you know, just a, you know, Tuesday or Wednesday night thing whenever the show was airing. This is actually really essential in my life. And this might be a little more of a sentimental note, but I remember when suits started in 2011, I was only 14 years old. I'm 28 today. And I want to say that Suits, Mike, Harvey, Donna, Lewis, you know, everybody, they have played an essential role. The show has played an essential role in how I have have essentially seen the world growing up from a 14 year old boy to a 28 year old man and beyond. There are many things that I carry with me that, you know, for example, Mike and Harvey would say back to each other, Donna and Harvey, or whoever it may be. But you know, just an example off the top of my head, when Harvey says, you know, if you start behind the eight ball, you're never going to get in front. That stuck with me and so many more. But that's just one example. And so I know this is kind of a longer memo, but I just wanted to again give my gratitude and let you guys know that you always have a Suits fan in me. And I'm so excited to listen to every episode week in and week out. All right, guys, cheers.
Sarah
Oscar.
Patrick
Oscar. Oscar. The Not Grouch. Wow.
Sarah
What a gift for us. That message is that made me tear up.
Patrick
First of all, you should be working in voice. Oscar, your voice. You want to, want to, you're going to want to get represented.
Sarah
Yes.
Patrick
New to la. Yeah. Thank you so much. What a beautiful message.
Sarah
It means so much. We talked about this before, but to be able to have companion to people through their lives, through times that were important to them and the meaning that they make of that, it brings so much meaning to our lives. So thank you so much for sharing that with us.
Patrick
It means a lot. It's very powerful to hear. It's easy for us to forget that this meant so much to so many people and the idea that you would have sort of come of age with this show and these people and that it would mean so much to you and help you Become the person that you want to be. That's crazy. You don't think of TV shows doing that, but I guess this one did for some people. So, so good to hear it.
Sarah
Wow.
Patrick
I'll send you my agent's information.
Sarah
Yeah, seriously, voicelessly, I'll represent you.
Patrick
Can Oscar become the voice of our show? Would you like an intro? And we'll get one of Chloe's songs. She's gonna. Yes.
Sarah
All right, all right. This is all gonna be so, so great. I'm excited also to share that voice memo directly with Aaron asap. So now I don't have to get him a present. Oscar made it for me.
Patrick
Just send Oscar's voice memo.
Sarah
Yes.
Patrick
Thank you.
Sarah
There is no greater gift. Thank you so much.
Patrick
Well, before we wrap up, I guess I just want to say thank you to you again for this year and this show. And is there anything that we. What do we want to do in the new year with this? Just keep going?
Sarah
Yes. I think. Where do we want to go? I think we want to travel. I think we're excited. I'm really excited to continue these kinds of conversations with this input from the viewer, because especially when somebody like Oscar says, you know, it meant a lot to him, it meant a lot to us. So it's an important conversation. Where do you want to go with it, Patrick?
Patrick
Wherever you go. I want to go wherever you go. I want to keep building it. I want to keep talking to fans. I want to talk to way more of the people that we worked with. Those have been some of my favorite episodes, getting people in here, hearing about their experiences. And like you said, I'm very excited to hopefully go live and be in front of audiences. I think it's so fun to actually meet people face to face and get the energy of rooms. So we're looking forward to hopefully having that be a part of it. There's lots to do, but it's been a great beginning and an incredible year, and thank you for doing that, and thank you all out there for making this podcast what it is and what it continues to be and what it will continue to be. Thank you.
Sarah
Thank you, Patrick.
Patrick
Okay, well, I think it's time to go ring in the new year, watch the ball drop. Thank you all for your lovely queen questions. Please send any other questions you have to sidebar podcasteriusxm.com we cannot wait to hear from you. And please come back next week where we will be back breaking down episodes of Suits. Until then, don't forget to subscribe to the show on whatever podcast app you're using and if you can please leave us a rating and review. It is such a great and helpful way to tell us what you are loving and most importantly helps other people find the show as well.
Sarah
You really good at this Patrick.
Patrick
Touch Touch Touch Touch. Happy New Year.
Sarah
I love watching you do this. I love listening to you. Happy New Year.
Patrick
Happy New Year.
Sarah
I can't wait to share 2025 with you.
Patrick
Me too. Talk next week. Bye Bye.
Sarah
Sidebar is produced by Sarah Rafferty, Patrick J. Adams and Sirius XM Media.
Patrick
Our senior producer is Kimmy Gregory and our producer and researcher is Kristen Schrader.
Sarah
Our Sound engineer is Alex Gonzalez and our our music is by Brendan Burns.
Patrick
Our executive producers are Cody Fisher and Colin Anderson.
Unknown
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Unknown
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Sarah
I am always right.
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Patrick
LLC member NYSE SIP.
Sidebar: A Suits Watch Podcast - Episode Summary Episode: "In Chambers: 2024 Is Adjourned" | Release Date: December 31, 2024
Patrick J. Adams and Sarah Rafferty kick off the episode with warm holiday greetings, setting a reflective and intimate tone. They share their personal sentiments about the past year and the significance of the holiday season.
Notable Quote:
"It's been a long year."
— Patrick [02:24]
The hosts delve into the tradition of the Times Square ball drop, exploring its historical origins and personal memories associated with it. They discuss how their perspectives on New Year's Eve have evolved from grand celebrations to more introspective and meaningful experiences.
Notable Quotes:
"The tradition of the ball drop on New Year's Eve in Times Square started in 1907."
— Sarah [02:58]
"Now that I'm, like, in the middle of my life, I need on New Year's, I need New Year's to be quiet and soulful and, like, a warmth."
— Sarah [05:05]
"It was the look."
— Patrick [25:17]
Patrick and Sarah share heartfelt stories from their personal lives, illustrating how their experiences have shaped their understanding and appreciation of quieter, more meaningful New Year's celebrations. They recount trips to Bhutan and Guatemala, emphasizing the value of nature, introspection, and family connections over large gatherings.
Notable Quotes:
"I need New Year's to be quiet and soulful and, like, a warmth."
— Sarah [05:05]
"We would always spend our New Year's in Vermont, and then we would watch that on, like, a little TV and go to sleep."
— Sarah [04:26]
"It was a once in a lifetime trip, but that experience is what I need to have kind of on a much smaller scale now."
— Sarah [05:32]
The episode features an engaging segment where Patrick and Sarah address listener questions. Topics range from the iconic "walk and talk" sequences in Suits to the intricacies of filming scenes with multiple cameras. They provide in-depth explanations about set design, costume choices, and the practicalities of shooting complex scenes.
Notable Questions and Responses:
Question from Yvette (Facebook Suits Group):
"Are the walk and talk scripted or did it develop as a way of moving the plot along?"
Response:
"It was like the look. And it was... The walk and talk became a part of the visual language of the show."
— Patrick [25:17]
Question from Hannah (Australia):
"Jessica and Donna are always doing such strong power struts through the office in these insanely high heels. Were they comfortable, easy to walk in?"
Response:
"They were really well made, beautifully designed. Walking in them actually wasn't that hard to do. It depended on the pacing."
— Sarah [20:57]
A standout moment in the episode is a poignant voice memo from Oscar, a dedicated fan from Washington state. Oscar shares how Suits has been a cornerstone in his personal growth from adolescence to adulthood, highlighting the profound impact the show and its characters have had on his life.
Notable Quote:
"Suits, Mike, Harvey, Donna, Lewis, you know, everybody, they have played an essential role. The show has played an essential role in how I have seen the world growing up."
— Oscar [39:06]
Patrick and Sarah express deep gratitude for Oscar's heartfelt message, reinforcing the meaningful connection between the hosts and their listeners.
The hosts provide listeners with an insider look into the production of Suits, discussing the challenges and creative decisions behind iconic elements such as the show's elevators and costume designs. They reveal how certain elements were developed organically during filming and the role of the script supervisor in maintaining consistency across scenes.
Notable Insight:
"There was a script supervisor on Suits whose job was to make sure everything remained consistent from moment to moment, scene to scene."
— Patrick [28:12]
As the episode draws to a close, Patrick and Sarah reflect on the success of the podcast in 2024 and outline their aspirations for the upcoming year. They express excitement about continuing to engage with fans, exploring new episodes, and potentially hosting live events to deepen their connection with the Suits community.
Notable Quote:
"I want to keep building it. I want to keep talking to fans. I want to talk to way more of the people that we worked with."
— Patrick [43:15]
"In Chambers: 2024 Is Adjourned" serves as a heartfelt and insightful reflection on the past year, blending personal anecdotes with behind-the-scenes stories and meaningful listener interactions. Patrick and Sarah successfully create an engaging narrative that not only celebrates Suits but also highlights the enduring bond between the show and its dedicated fanbase.
Key Takeaways:
Join Patrick and Sarah next week as they continue to break down more episodes of Suits, sharing exclusive insights and stories that fans won't want to miss.
Note: Timestamps are included with notable quotes to provide context and enhance the summary's engagement.