The Fits L.A. star recently shared his thoughts with TooFab regarding the highly anticipated spinoff of the beloved series. He discussed the invaluable advice he received from Fits original cast member Gabriel Macht, which has been instrumental in helping him maintain a balanced perspective as he joins the franchise.

“He spoke about his experience when he initially signed on for the original series, which was filmed in New York before transitioning to Toronto. He was based in New York during that time. Similarly, for our show, we filmed the pilot in Vancouver before relocating to L.A. Gabriel emphasized the importance of keeping perspective throughout this journey,” McDermitt shared.

“He mentioned, ‘You might find yourself working in a different city, so never take for granted that you’re filming in the same city where you live, especially when you get the opportunity to work on ‘Fits L.A.’ in Los Angeles,’” McDermitt continued. “This advice was shared with Brian Greenberg and me, and it served as a wonderful reminder to appreciate our circumstances.”

He elaborated, “You’re just living your life and doing your thing, and it’s easy to forget how fortunate we are to be working, especially in L.A. where so much production has moved out of the city. Gabriel’s perspective was a great reminder for us to be grateful and to occasionally take stock of just how great this opportunity is.”

Having Gabriel Macht on the spinoff was also a significant highlight for McDermitt, who told TooFab that Fits L.A. would not be the same without Macht reprising his iconic role as Harvey Specter.

“It’s truly wonderful to have his endorsement on the show, and to see him actively participating in the promotional activities for our series,” McDermitt, who portrays lawyer Stuart Lane, expressed. “There wouldn’t be a Fits L.A. without Gabriel Macht and the amazing cast and crew that brought Fits to life. We are incredibly thankful for his involvement.”

While Fits L.A. did bring the franchise to its namesake city, initial production took place in Vancouver. During this time, McDermitt had the opportunity to bond with co-star Stephen Amell, who plays entertainment lawyer Ted Black. Although the two had crossed paths at various Comic-Cons over the years, with McDermitt on The Walking Dead and Amell on Arrow, preparing for Fits was the first occasion they truly got to know each other.

“At the autograph signing conventions and Comic-Con events, you’re usually at your own table, in your own little world. Although I had briefly met Stephen in passing a couple of times, I don’t think he remembers it. Our interactions hadn’t been in-depth,” McDermitt shared, teasing a potential spoiler for the upcoming season.

“I won’t reveal any names because it’s a spoiler, but we just had a friend of mine guest star on the show, and Steven only knows him from Comic-Con events. It was amusing to see them reconnect because they’ve actually spent time together,” he continued. “I felt a bit envious and thought, ‘How did you manage to find time to do that? I never feel like I have time to connect with anyone at these events.’”

He elaborated, “What was fantastic during the pilot filming, especially since Stuart and Ted are supposed to be best friends in the show, is that we needed to spend quality time together. We arrived in Vancouver a month or two before we shot the pilot. Since they were filming Arrow in that same location, Stephen kept inviting me out to hang out with his friends. It turned out that he has an amazing circle of friends, all of whom are genuinely nice people. They’re all Canadian, so you know they’re very friendly.”

“The company we keep says a lot about a person. I distinctly remember thinking, ‘Oh, this is great. This is going to be a fun experience working with him,’” McDermitt added.

Fits L.A. also allows McDermitt the opportunity to showcase his natural hair, transitioning from the dark mullet and eventually the braid he was recognized for as Eugene on The Walking Dead to a new blonde hairstyle and beard. While some of his colleagues recognized him despite the change in appearance, that wasn’t the case for everyone.

“During my first and second season on The Walking Dead, I filmed a few episodes of Mad Men. When I returned to start filming The Walking Dead again, I showed up with blonde hair. Everyone recognized me immediately, even though I thought they might not,” he told TooFab.

“I was surprised when I thought, ‘Oh, I have blonde hair and it’s short. They won’t recognize me since they can easily use extensions, and my hair hadn’t been dyed back yet.’ But everyone knew who I was. I believe people just recognize you,” McDermitt insisted. “Another interesting aspect is that many crew members were fans of The Walking Dead. Just last week, one of our transportation guys, who had been working with us all season, said, ‘Dude, I just realized who you were. I love The Walking Dead!’ It’s fun to see that excitement and recognition happen in real time.”

With the enthusiasm from fans of established franchises like The Walking Dead and Fits comes a bit of pressure—something McDermitt and his Fits L.A. co-stars are very aware of.

“I believe that there will always be pressure, no matter what show we do, even if Fits had never existed and we were simply creating a new show called Fits L.A. that had no connection to Fits. There will be pressure,” he explained. “However, there is added pressure because people have expectations. This is the fans’ show, and we want to deliver a high-quality production. We want to put our best work into it. Therefore, we naturally put that pressure on ourselves. The excitement from fans is palpable; they are genuinely thrilled.”

Interestingly enough, even McDermitt’s father is a fan of the original series—a fact that surprised him when he learned he’d be filming the spinoff.

“My own dad is like the biggest OG Fits fan. I had no idea! He’s even more excited than anyone I’ve ever spoken to about Fits L.A.. It’s a reminder of how passionate people are about this project. ‘Don’t mess this up,’ right?” he joked.

Fits L.A. airs on Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET on NBC, and fans are eagerly awaiting each new episode.