Patrick Ball Talks ‘Becky Shaw’ on Broadway, ‘The Pitt’ Fame

Patrick Ball doesn’t want to play the good guy. Or the bad guy.

“Anything I do — whether it be ‘The Pitt’ or ‘Hamlet,’ whether it be ‘Becky Shaw’ — I look for stories where there isn’t a clear good guy-bad guy dynamic,” says the actor. 

Ball is currently on TV screens as Dr. Frank Langdon as “The Pitt” wraps up its second season, and also onstage in New York making his Broadway debut as one of the stars of “Becky Shaw.” The dark comedy, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2009, explores simmering power dynamics in the aftermath of a blind date. Ball stars as the young “feminist” husband of a woman grieving the loss of her dad. He introduces his new coworker, the titular Becky Shaw, into a complicated family dynamic. 

“Each one of these characters are equally flawed and damaged — and also equally justifiable and redeemable,” says Ball, adding that he was attracted to the show’s overt versus covert power dynamics at play.

“I thought that was really interesting, especially this year where we’ve had a lot of conversations around the ‘performative male.’ The guy that presents as, ‘I’m your best friend. I’m not like the other guys,’” Ball adds. “But if you look through the other eye, you’re like, oh wait — this guy is arguably more manipulative than the guy coming in the room, beating his chest, and saying, ‘I’m gonna tell you what to do.’”

Ball headed to New York to begin rehearsals shortly after wrapping production on the second season of “The Pitt.” The play opens on Monday, and will run through June 14. “I will go back to [film] Season Three, literally the day after ‘Becky Shaw.’ It’s all gas, no breaks right now,” says Ball, who last year starred in a production of “Hamlet” in L.A. between show seasons.

Despite days of rehearsals that lead into performances, Ball has continued to meet audiences and fans at the stage door at the end of each night. 

“It’s a wild time,” says Ball. “ For the most part, my experience of the fandom is just through my phone, and as soon as I put it down, it goes away. But whenever I’m at a theater and I walk out the stage door, I get to actually see people that are engaging with my work and hear from them,” he adds. “Their excitement to come out and support is what has made this all happen.”

Ball has been catapulted to fame over the past year thanks to the quick popularity of “The Pitt.” The actor portrays a senior ER resident who, in Season Two, returns to work after months of rehab for a painkiller addiction. The role marks Ball’s second onscreen credit, following a guest role on an episode of “Law & Order.”

“It was so special to spend eight months filming, not having any idea as to what was coming, or whether this was gonna work, or whether anybody was gonna watch the show,” he says of the first season. “And then to have the world all of a sudden see us and pay attention, and to go through that together as a cast, was just such a one-in-a-million experience.”

The HBO series has quickly picked up accolades including Emmy, Golden Globe, and Critics Choice awards for best drama series, and in February the cast won the Actor Award for ensemble performance.

So compared to the first season, when many of the actors were unknown, the stakes heading into Season Two felt a little different. “ It can feel like a lot of pressure to not disappoint people,” he says, adding that he thinks the writers have done a good job of navigating audience expectations and attachment. The season finale airs April 13, and Ball isn’t totally certain how it’ll all play out with the final edit; he’s been watching episodes in real time along with audiences. 

Both of Ball’s parents worked in emergency medicine, a personal connection to his character that he describes as a “gift from the universe.” It’s also given him a new perspective and appreciation for what they internalized, and how they showed up for him outside of their jobs.

Describing himself as a “hyperactive” kid who had a hard time focusing in school while growing up in North Carolina, discovering theater was the thing that allowed Ball to finally find his focus. He initially went to college for broadcast journalism, where he was recruited by a friend in the theater department to be in a short scene that he was directing. His cameo led to a lead role in a George Bernard Shaw play.

“ And it was the first time I had been put in a position where I was like, OK, I’m gonna apply myself and pull this off, or I’m gonna face plant and embarrass myself in front of a lot of people,” he says.

Ball went on to act in local theater productions before graduating from Yale’s MFA drama program a few years ago. He was living in New York when he was cast in “The Pitt,” and has enjoyed being back in the city after relocating to L.A.

“ I love Brooklyn, I love being back on the subway. There is an energetic flow to New York,” he says. “You can be one among many and just in the flow of life in a way that you just don’t experience anywhere else in the world.”