‘The Pitt’ star Patrick Ball cries while opening up about his student loan debt: “It’s a huge burden to carry, and a lot of people carry it”

The Pitt star Patrick Ball got his big break in acting when he landed a major role starring as Dr. Frank Langdon in the critically acclaimed drama. The actor revealed in an emotional interview how the show, which only marks his third-ever acting role, ultimately changed his life for the better.

Speaking to Cultured magazine, Ball became emotional as he revealed he was allowed to pay off thousands in student loans after being cast on the show.

“I paid off my student loans like three months into The Pitt, and that was a really profound moment ‘cause I thought I was gonna die with it,” he confessed. “It’s a huge burden to carry, and a lot of people carry it.”

Ball said he was $80,000 in debt at the time, leading to a “financial insecurity” that began to impact his relationships.

“I had just thought that was going to be my life forever, and that is a really heavy thing to live with,” he said. “Paying off those student loans and getting back to zero, I remember being like, ‘Man, if this show works, great. If it doesn’t work, they can’t take that away from me. I am out of debt.’ No take-backsies on that.”

Ball revealed he was living with an ex-partner in New Haven six months before he was cast in The Pitt. At the time, he was considering quitting acting to join the FBI or the Merchant Marines, and had even briefly considered working at a fishing camp in Alaska and “dropping off the grid entirely.”

“Working as an actor, you don’t know what’s coming, have no money—the financial outlook can be bleak,” he said about that period in his life. “I was looking for an off-ramp.”

But when they broke up, the actor returned to North Carolina where he landed a new job fundraising at North Point University. He decided to give acting another shot by appearing in one more play in Miami before he took the job, which is how he met his girlfriend, actress Elysia Roorbach.

Ball ultimately returned to New York City, where he revealed he worked several jobs to make ends meet in the months before getting cast on The Pitt. At one point, he was working four jobs in New York, including as a wardrobe assistant on And Just Like That… and as a paid actor for seminars held at Blackrock and Goldman Sachs.

But once he got the call for The Pitt, “Everything was different.”

The series premiered in 2025 to critical acclaim for its refreshing approach to the weekly medical procedural. The show takes place over a 12-hour shift in a Pittsburgh emergency room, highlighting how these medical professionals navigate personal crises and workplace politics. Ball was nominated for a Critic’s Choice Television Award for his performance as Dr. Langdon, the protegé to Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch, played by series star and executive producer Noah Wyle. The cast also won the Actor Award for Outstanding Performance By An Ensemble in a Drama.

The Pitt Season 2 is airing now on HBO and has already been renewed for a third season.

New episodes of The Pitt air Thursdays 9 p.m. on HBO.