“My life was so parallel to Katrina’s at the time I was in Suits Season 9 because I didn’t know whether I could continue acting after having a child — it’s challenging to do both simultaneously.”

Following future Suits star Amanda Schull’s multiple attempts to win a role on the legal drama (including that of Rachel Zane), a new character was created specifically with her tenacious spirit in mind.

“I still had to audition for Katrina!” Amanda joked about her casting experience during a special Suits panel at the 2024 ATX TV Festival, which featured Patrick J. Adams (Mike), Sarah Rafferty (Donna), Abigail Spencer (Scotty), Dulé Hill (Alex), and former USA Network president Jeff Wachtel.

Amanda sat down with Distractify after the panel to talk about how her character’s fate in Suits Season 9 ended up mirroring her own life in ways she never anticipated.

So, what happens to Katrina on ‘Suits’ at the end of Season 9? (SPOILERS)

SOURCE: NETFLIXArt imitated real life for Amanda Schull on the final season of “Suits”

Katrina’s arc over the span of the eighth and ninth seasons of Suits was all about vulnerability — a tough emotion for the confident character to face.

“Katrina has this big moment in the first episode of Season 8 where she indirectly confesses what she’s given up [to Louis Litt, played by Rick Hoffman] in pursuit of her law career — however, it’s easy to assume that Katrina is OK with sacrificing an outside life for her job,” Amanda observed about her character.

Ironically, Katrina’s vulnerable moment with Louis was inspired by her decision to fire Brian Altman (Jake Epstein), after her impersonal metrics test determined he was one of the firm’s weakest attorneys.

Louis reprimands Katrina for insubordination as he had specifically ordered her not to fire Brian, who had just become a first-time father.

Katrina argues that it isn’t right to keep Brian on staff as opposed to other attorneys who ranked higher on her metrics test.

Standing her ground against Louis, Katrina declares that it’s not fair to fire other attorneys who, “work 100 hours a week, eat dinner [at the firm] every night, [and] who don’t even go on dates, let alone have a baby!” It’s obvious, as Amanda told Distractify, that Katrina is talking about herself in that moment.

Amanda added, “Over the final two seasons, the audience realizes that that’s Katrina would like to have a life beyond her career, She just doesn’t know how.”

In Season 9, it’s Katrina’s time to choose family over the firm.

During the course of the season, Katrina sacrifices her job at the firm in order for help Mike take down acting managing partner Faye Richardson (Denise Crosby), who was sued by Samantha Wheeler (Katherine Heigl), one of the firm’s partners, for wrongful termination.

However, Harvey Spector (Gabriel Macht) has struck a deal with Faye to represent her in the wrongful termination case — if he wins on Faye’s behalf, she will step down as the firm’s acting managing partner.

Given that Katrina colluded with the opposing counsel on the case that pit Mike against Harvey, it was inevitable that Faye would terminate her once she found out about Katrina’s under-the-table conversation.

However, this is Suits we’re talking about here — where the resident firm family always wins. Ultimately, Katrina helps Harvey one-up Faye by agreeing to serve as a witness for Samantha in the trial with the claim that Faye ordered her to tamper with evidence regarding the case.

With Katrina’s help, Harvey is able to close one final deal with Faye that saves the firm once and for all. Katrina is re-hired and made name partner.

“I remember texting Aaron [Korsh, the show’s creator] the second I finished reading the final Season 9 script,” Schull recounted, walking Distractify through the emotional moment when she saw Katrina’s last name appear on the firm wall as named partner. “When I walked on set, I started to cry, seeing Katrina’s last name up on the wall. That same day, nobody knew I was pregnant except for wardrobe.”

However, Aaron was more perceptive than Amanda realized.

“Aaron took one look at me when I walked on set that day. And I just very discreetly nodded at him. And the two of us started to howl with laughter because nobody knew what we were talking about. It was a tiny, beautiful moment, so perfect for my last episode!”

“I’ve been married for 13 years — however, my life was so parallel to Katrina’s at the time I was in Suits Season 9 because I didn’t know whether I could continue acting after having a child — it’s challenging to do both simultaneously. There are so many sacrifices women have to make trying to maintain a family and work-life balance.”

That’s why Katrina’s desire to have a career and a life outside of the firm truly resonated with me,” she reiterated.

In the end, Katrina finally realizes that her family at the firm means more to her than her job. Her ultimate act of loyalty ends up paying off in spades in the series finale, with Amanda happily adding, “At that moment she sees her name on the wall, everything was worth it for Katrina.”