Pitt‘s Patrick Ball he shares how the program has dramatically changed his life.
Ball, 36, shed tears during a recent interview Traditions as he recalls how he was able to pay off $80,000 in student loan debt thanks to his role as Dr. Frank Langdon on HBO’s hit drama Max.
“I paid off my student loan three months ago pitt, and that was a really important moment because I thought I was going to die with it,” he said in a speech, Tuesday, April 7. “It’s a big burden to carry, and many people carry it. I was 80,000 in debt and had gone through a series of failed relationships where my financial insecurity was a real problem. I just thought that was going to be my life forever, and that’s a really hard thing to live with.”
He added, “I’m paying off those student loans and I’m back to zero, I remember saying, ‘Man, if this show works, great. If it doesn’t, they can’t take that away from me. I’m out of debt. There’s no going back on that.’
Pitt marks Ball’s first major screen role and comes at a time when the actor is trying to justify his career path.
“About six months before Pitt I came in, I was living in New Haven with my ex. We had been together for three years and we were really struggling to come up with an idea for the future,” he explained.” Working as an actor you never know what’s going to happen, don’t have money — the financial situation can be dire. I wanted a road ramp. His father was an ex-military man and he tried to persuade me to join the FBI. I was thinking of joining the Merchant Marines. The year before that, I had spent four months in Alaska, thinking about working at a fishing camp, then I stopped fishing altogether. Whenever that relationship in New Haven reached its peak, we lived together, so I was homeless.”
Before the PittBall said he is busy with various jobs, including “working in a coffee shop, working in a restaurant, working as a wardrobe assistant. And Just That…“
One memorable job Ball had was hosting corporate training seminars.
Pitt swept the 2026 awards season after its exciting storylines and strong performances left fans eager to see more. A medical drama, created by R. Scott Gemmill and executive produced by John Wells and Noah Wyle, premiered on HBO Max in January 2025. The series tells the story of the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center’s. […]
“I don’t think I have told anyone this story, but I was doing these conferences where they would bring me into Blackrock, Blackstone and Goldman Sachs, and they would want to teach these young managers how to have difficult conversations, à la how to fire someone,” he said. “They would have brought me in as an actor so that these managers could get used to firing someone. So I’ve been fired more than anyone you’ve ever met, I promise you. I’ve been fired many times.”
“Then the phone calls Pitt came in and everything was different,” he added.
Pitt airs on HBO Max.
