Gabriel Macht 'Always' Apologizes 'Profusely' to Kids Who 'Have Gone to Law School Because of' “Suits ”(Exclusive)

Gabriel Macht would like to issue a formal apology to some of his fans.

After eight years playing high-powered attorney Harvey Specter on Suits, the actor, 53, has had his fair share of fans tell him they're pursuing a law degree of their own, inspired at least in part by the series.

"There are so many kids that have gone to law school because of the show — because they think it's fast-moving, there's family, there's loyalties, it's cool, it's slick. People are witty. There's a lot of drama, all this kind of stuff," he tells PEOPLE.

Macht has just one thing to say when that happens: "When people come up to me and they're like, 'I went to law school because of you,' I always apologize profusely."

Related: Gabriel Macht Won't ‘Tell Anybody’ Where He Lives with Wife and Kids After Leaving U.S (Exclusive)

"'I'm sorry,'" he says he tells fans. "If you like to read, that is great because you're going to sit with a book, like this, for hours."

Of the show's dedicated fanbase in general, Macht says, "The thing about this show... It's commitment. People have watched 134 episodes, which is our nine seasons. They've watched it multiple times. And so for me, that is fanatical a little bit."

"Anybody who's watched it even once to me is like, 'Oh wow, that's cool. You were into it, great. You got a lot of time on your hands.' But for the people that have watched it twice, and five times and 15 times... I met a guy who watched it 15 times he said," Macht continues. "And I was like, all right, well we're going to take a picture together where you're in that corner and I'm in this corner.'"

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Macht loves that people "connect" with the story and that fans have "created this whole new energy around it" since its massive resurgence in 2023. "I don't know if it was Netflix, or if it was TikTok, or [if] the stars aligned in some way and it absolutely blew up."

The momentum makes him excited for the upcoming spinoff series, Suits L.A., which he says he hopes "does well" — and which he'll be reprising his beloved role for.

"[I'm] excited for them to take the ball and run with it," he shares.

For now, though, he's focusing on a new arena: whiskey. Macht is the face of Bear Fight Whiskey's first-ever ad campaign, and as a creative partner and equity stakeholder in the company, he's stepping into new shoes amid a "long break" from acting.

"Harvey is — he's really a Macallan guy, but I'm not a Macallan guy. I'm a Bear Fight guy. I'm the guy that's just looking for something that tastes great, that's affordable, is approachable."

"We've just had just loads of fun doing this whole marketing and advertising world that I know nothing about," he says of his role at the company. "But it's been very creative for me. It's been great."

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Suits can be streamed in full on Netflix and Suits L.A. premieres Feb. 23 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.

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