USAMeghan Markle and the Suits cast took Austin by storm at the 2017 ATX TV Festival to celebrate the 100th episode of USA Network's Suits. Markle joined costars Gina Torres, Patrick J. Adams, Gabriel Macht, Sarah Rafferty, Rick Hoffman and special panel guests Abigail Spencer and Nick Wechsler for a reading of the show's pilot episode in celebration of the upcoming 100th episode.
Markle took to thunderous applause. When it came time for her first line in the pilot, "Mike Ross?" she received even more crowd reaction. While reading a key scene from the pilot, Markle laughed and said, "I think this was my audition scene."
The USA Network drama returned for a seventh season in July. Adams, who plays Mike Ross on the legal drama, will step behind the camera to direct the landmark episode.
"I couldn't be more excited and honored to be directing the 100th hour of Suits," Adams said in a statement. "We are blessed on this show with an incredible crew and an absurdly talented group of actors and writers. I'm looking forward to stealing all of their good ideas and getting to pretend they are my own."
Throughout the panel the cast had plenty of laughs, changing voices and razzing each other. After they finished the script reading, the cast talked favorite memories from shooting the pilot.
"I didn't remember half of that," Torres joked.
"I just remember it…work can feel like work, and it felt like play the whole time. We were having a great time," Adams said.
Markle said the cast had a group email going the other day and recalled living in corporate house with the rest of the cast while they filmed. "We were all living together…we just became this little family right out of the gate," she said.
When asked about specific scenes, both Adams and Markle cited their steamy sex scene in the file room as one that stands out. "Of course that was weird," Markle said.
"That was really weird," Adams said.
As for her favorite scene from the last 100 episodes, Markle said it was when she and Rafferty did Michelle Ross and Harriet Specter. "That was the best…We just sort of played around with that recently," she said hinting at things to come. This season will Markle's character is now a full-blown lawyer. "Of course I'm so happy, especially reading the pilot again," she said. "To watch that progression…she's worked so hard, I love that as a role model…"
When the panel wrapped, Hoffman thanked the fans in attendance. "Thank you and I'll never forget it," he said.
Suits returns Wednesday, July 12 at 9 p.m. on USA Network.
(E! and USA Network are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)