As Donna on Suits, Sarah Rafferty plays Harvey Specter’s sassy, confident, quick-witted assistant with a heart of gold. Meeting her in Toronto (where the legal drama is filmed), the tall lean redhead is affable and chatty, not to mention a pro selfie-taker, and instantly made us want to be besties with her in real life. Rafferty, who hails originally from Connecticut, loves Amy Schumer, drools over the boxes of Dior clothing her character gets to wear, and revealed that the idea of free time can make her antsy. In other words, she’s just like us!
We jumped at the chance to ask about her secrets when it comes to feeling beautiful, about her favourite role and more.
What’s it like to play Donna?
I have so much fun slipping into her shoes daily and I gotta say I will miss her when we go on hiatus. I’ve said to my producer that when the day comes and the show comes to a finish, I’m going to have to go through a mourning period because it’s so fun playing a someone who is so unapologetic for who she is and so confident about what her superpower is.
What is Donna’s superpower?
She has a keen understanding of people and relationships, I think, and the creator has called her the emotional glue of the firm and I think you know her superpower is in that sweet spot. I think that’s what makes her so fun to play because she is all up in everybody’s personal business; she cares more about people and less about the law.
In what ways would you say you are similar to Donna?
I think I have a good sense of humour, I like to have fun like she does, and I also really care about people, I really care about my friends. I also have very close relationships with my colleagues just like Donna.
Do you feel pressure when it comes to anti-aging and plastic surgery being in show business?
I want to freeze it and preserve myself! No, I’m just kidding! (laughing) There’s a whole movement of Hollywood women speaking up about that. Kate Winslet is among them, I remember watching an interview with her where she was talking about her work in a movie and she pointed out a scene, I think it was a live interview. and she said Look at that, one thing I’m most proud of in that scene is my eyebrows move! and I just so appreciated that she said it. She’s not afraid to talk about it.
You’re the youngest of four girls. What beauty secrets did you learn from your sisters?
I think that a woman is most beautiful when she’s happiest, when she’s in her joy and I have to say I feel beautiful around my sisters because we love each other so much and we have so much fun, and we’re truly ourselves with each other. They’re so beautiful and I think we all feel beautiful when we’re with each other, and those tend to be very makeup-free, blowout-free moments.
Fave beauty product you can’t live without?
I really like Egyptian Magic, it’s multipurpose–a balm but you can use it as eye cream, you can use it on your kid’s butt, you can use it on your hands, you can use it as a diaper cream.
Fave Hollywood hunk?
Mark Ruffalo.
If you could be anywhere right now, it’d be where?
In the mountains.
Fave role ever?
Donna.
How do you like to stay in shape?
I like to mix it up from hot yoga to pilates, to weight lifting. I hate jogging, but I like to work out, I also like to go hiking with my husband on a date. If we can incorporate exercise together that’s my fave workout: playing tennis, going for a hike, going to gym together.
How do you like to spend free time?
I’d freak out and try to figure out what I’m going to do because it’s crazy if I get to have two hours! I’m going to lose an hour stressing about what I want to do or what I need to get done. I’m going to want to work out, I’m going to want to get a massage, I’m going to want to read and I’m going to want to watch a movie. In terms of what movie I’d watch I’d choose a current movie starring a woman, which is frequently how I choose my television. Give me a Meryl Streep movie, give me a Helen Mirren movie, just the other day I watched the The Hundred-Foot Journey starring Helen Mirren.
You do work with Because I Am A Girl, how did you get involved with the organization?
That came about because I watched Girl Rising and at the end I looked at all the different contributors and supporters of the film, the different organizations and Because I Am A Girl, it just stuck in my head because my mom is one of three girls, she had four daughters, I have two daughters; I am surrounded in my life by women and when I had my first daughter I was certainly really struck by how privileged I was to have her in a place where she is just naturally supported and I thought about other mothers and how it feels for them when they have a girl born into serious disadvantage, so then I reached out to Because I Am A Girl.
