An Interview With Suits' Max Topplin

USA's Suits is the legal series that is NOT a case-of-the-week, standard procedural. Instead, it is character-driven, examining the morality and relationships between a group of people at a law firm. Moving into season two, big changes are afoot. This includes more development for side characters, including Herold Jakowski.

You may not remember much about Herold. He is an associate that gets dumped on by Louis a lot. But that is going to change. Not the dumping, of course, but that lack of standing out. Max Topplin, the wonderfully charming, funny actor who portrays the character, has a lot to say about Herold's future. Not only will he get some serious screen time in the webisodes, but he will also be doing some crazy things in the coming weeks in the regular installments!

Herold is the class clown. He takes himself seriously, but he is socially awkward, and is always trying to catch up to the page everyone else in the office is on. His tendency to break into dance doesn't help him with this much, and his allergy to cats will come into play, too.

Herold is the everyman viewers will want to root for. He is a person many can relate to, far less put together than the smooth operators running the law firm. He may be a bit bumbling, which helps bring the much-appreciated humorous element of Suits to the forefront. He's also earnest and sincere, honest and genuine. He's more an accidental obstacle than an antagonist, and he's certainly not playing the "game" in which the others compete for power. It's a great character that must be delicately handled to avoid becoming a joke of himself. If today's conversation is any indication, Max seems to understand this, and have a handle on it.

As an associate, the natural relationship that will be building for Herold is his interaction with Mike. They will soon be friends, and maybe even confidantes. Unfortunately for Herold, Mike's brain works faster than the average person, and he doesn't have much patience in waiting for others to catch up. This should lead to some strained scenes between the two, which, given Herold's track record, will probably also be funny.

What of Herold's love life? After all, the geek is always going to pine for the girl. Max promises that Herold will make a play for Rachel in season two. It will definitely go very much as one would expect it to, which will make for a fantastic comedy scene! But no serious woman is on the horizon for Herold. At least not yet.

That being said, Herold is Team Women, not just Team Rachel. He will take any girl! Asked who would be his dream guest star to finally give Herold his sweet, sweet love, Max immediately jumps to Jennifer Love Hewitt. He pitches that the star of The Client List and Ghost Whisperer could play a nerdy, sexy, socially awkward librarian with dentures. Hear that casting department? Make this happen, stat!

Herold is already in Louis and Mike's circles pretty heavily, and as mentioned, he will go for Rachel, but what about Harvey and Jessica? Sadly, he has not captured their attention. It is Max's fervent hope that Herold will become a punching bag for the two of them soon, as well. He is sure a glutton for punishment!

Max may be playing second string for now, but that doesn't mean he will stay the meek scapegoat forever. Look for him to go toe to toe with Louis soon. Albeit in a role playing exercise, and Louis will put him back in his place. But it's a scene to look forward to, and a chance to root for this perpetual underdog!

Louis will not remain at the top of the heap. He has always had to kowtow to Jessica, but she doesn't put the hammer down to often. Now that Hardman, Jessica's partner, is back in the office, Louis is going to get it from multiple sides. Which means that, like most bullies, he will probably pass the torment down to the next level, with Herold being the obvious target.

Will Herold become the next Louis? It's a distinct possibility, seeing the parallels between their characters. But Herold seems too sunny of a person to be beaten down so easily into the miserable human being Louis can be.

The ratings of Suits have been something to really celebrate. Max mentions that, in Canada, 600,000 viewers is huge. He seems absolutely awestruck by the news that millions more tune in around the United States on a regular basis. This man is clearly living his dream, and is grateful for every minute. Which makes Max someone to root for every bit as much as his character, if not more so.

Asked about the difference between himself and his character, Max has a ready answer. He says he could date dancers, while Herold would not stand a chance. Though Herold would believe that he could, and go for it with gusto. Are they so different, after all?

On a final note, Max would really like to get going on twitter, but hasn't really been sucked into it yet. He asks that fans entice him to be more active! Just tweet @MaxTopplin and try to engage him. If he's half as entertaining on social media as he is in person, it should be well worth the effort!

Click here for all of my Suits articles! If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Article first published as Talking with Max Topplin of USA's Suits on TheTVKing.com.