Actress, philanthropist, activist and political refugee Azita Ghanizada is ready to take on her newest project: being a lawyer. It was recently announced that the 45-year-old from Kabul, Afghanistan, would portray the character of Rosalyn—Ted Black’s (Stephen Amell) loyal and steadfast secretary—in the highly anticipated spin-off show, Suits L.A, which premieres tonight at 9 p.m. EST. To celebrate this joyous news, First for Women recently sat down with Ghanizada to discuss season 1 of the workplace drama, her work with the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) Arts Advocacy Coalition, the L.A. Fires and more.
First for Women: Congratulations on being cast in Suits L.A! What was it like to get to this point, and how does it feel to be part of such a highly talked about spin-off?
Azita Ghanizada: When the show was casting, I texted my agent saying, “This is very much my world,” because it just is. There’s an essence and a dynamicness to this show that really feeds my soul. It’s fast, energetic, sexy, funny and serious sometimes. So there were so many things where I felt this is the dream job, but I never in a million years thought I would get it.
I’m shooting episode seven right now. We’re gonna get to eight, and I’m very present at the moment. I just had a major loss with my dad passing away right before we started filming. Now, I’m taking in every bit of this incredible moment and being grateful for it.
FFW: Were you a fan of the original show?
AG: I’m someone who watched Suits on Netflix during the pandemic, and I fell in love with all the show, the characters and the writing, just like everyone else.
My girlfriend is Indian, and her parents are obsessed with Suits. That was the show they watched together as a family. So it’s really a show that touches across generations and across cultures. It doesn’t have a specific audience. It’s made for everyone.
FFW: How does the L.A. version of Suits differ from the original, and can people who haven’t seen that show still watch Suits L.A.?
AG: There are some really important nostalgic throwbacks to the OG show, but this is a show that stands on its own completely. It’s got the same energy, pace, writers and so many of the same directors as the original show. But you don’t need to have known anything from the previous show to watch it and to start investing in our characters.
I think we differ because it’s a whole different coast. There’s a different vibe. New York is New York, and L.A. is L.A. and different animals come with both.
FFW: What was your reaction when you heard Gabriel Macht was going to be appearing in Suits L.A.?
AG: I think it’s so good for the show, and I’m so excited. I don’t even think Gabriel Macht knows how much people love him. He was such a terrific Harvey. He nailed that role. It was a lifetime role for him, and we are so lucky to have him come and do a few episodes with us.
FFW: Speaking of Gabriel Macht, can we expect any other cameos from the original cast?
AG: Towards the end of the season, I think there will be some familiar faces and things that will really excite OG Suits fans.
FFW: Since you’re based in Los Angeles, how has your life been since the fires?
AG: We evacuated for one day just because the Runyon Canyon fire was super close to me, but we were really lucky.
It was heartbreaking for so many friends who were directly impacted, and you’re just thinking, “Oh, my God, my heart breaks for you guys.” Thankfully, the city mobilized, and it was beautiful. I couldn’t get into volunteer spots, I was turned away. It was so wonderful to see the city come together, and it made you fall in love with L.A. a little bit again.
FFW: Let’s talk a little bit about the MENA Arts Advocacy Coalition. What does that organization mean to you, and what led you to create it in the first place?
AG: It was something that I did out of necessity. I never tried to be something different than I was, even though I live and work in an industry where they really want you to try to get the job, even if it means changing who you are.
Authenticity was something that always meant something to me, and the business didn’t know where to put me. My community was just so lost and I saw all these incredible black actors and Asian actors have all these wonderful coalitions, and when I looked around for us, I only saw religiously focused things. And I’m not incredibly religious, so that it was, like, “We need something that stands out on its own. So it was something I did out of necessity, and then it became really important because people were, like, “You can’t stop.”
I just wanted to do this to make sure that we gained status so that our community had a place in the conversations about how people write for us and how people see us. I learned English watching television, and if I had seen somebody like me who actually was identifiable as me, I maybe wouldn’t have felt as lost.
FFW: Throughout your career, you have been so open and honest about being a political refugee and asylum seeker. What made you want to speak so openly about your journey and how receptive have people across Hollywood been to it?
AG: I think it goes back to authenticity. I can’t be something I’m not. I was so ashamed of it as a little girl in Virginia when we were asylum seekers that to have a belief in myself, I had to double down on who and what I am. That belief drove me to think I could pack a suitcase and buy a one-way ticket to Los Angeles without anybody who looked like me or identified as me on screen. It’s been a wild journey to go from asylum seeker to Suits L.A.
FFW: Aside from Hollywood, you are also quite the accomplished Broadway star, thanks to your role in The Kite Runner. What was being on the stage like, and do you think you will ever return to play?
AG: Being on stage teaches you the ownership of your craft. It teaches you how to be an actor properly.
The stage is where an actor gets to own their craft. And it’s the first time you get to connect to audiences and wait for them, and they wait for you at the stage door, and you get to talk about this experience together. It was so beautiful and tender that I will absolutely go back to it. It’s the toughest schedule, but it’s wonderful. And if I’m invited back for the right thing, I will be there in a heartbeat.
FFW: What’s next for you?
AG: Hopefully season 2, but it’s up to the TV gods. We just have to go in there and do our job, and then the TV Gods will come back and let us know what they think.
The show is growing; each character is getting their own time and it’s a really special thing.