Patrick Ball reflects on financial struggles before ‘The Pitt’ breakthrough

Patrick Ball is opening up about a deeply personal milestone, revealing how his breakout role in The Pitt changed his life in more ways than one.

In a recent interview, the 36-year-old actor became emotional as he shared that he was able to completely pay off $80,000 in student debt just months after joining the hit HBO series. Ball, who plays Dr. Frank Langdon on the medical drama, admitted that for years he believed the financial burden would follow him for the rest of his life.

“That was a really profound moment because I thought I was going to die with it,” he said, reflecting on the weight of his loans. “It’s a huge burden to carry, and a lot of people carry it.”

Before landing his role, Ball studied at the prestigious David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, accumulating significant debt along the way. The financial pressure took a toll on multiple aspects of his life, including his relationships, which he said were often strained due to his instability.

At one point, just six months before being cast in The Pitt, Ball was seriously considering walking away from acting altogether. Living in New York, he juggled four different jobs to make ends meet, including shifts at a coffee shop, working in a restaurant and even taking on a role as a wardrobe assistant on And Just Like That….

Everything changed when he received the call for The Pitt. The show, which premiered in January 2025, quickly became one of HBO’s standout dramas, earning critical acclaim and multiple awards.

Each episode covers one hour of a 15-hour shift at the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center.