Gabriel Macht on Why His First Scene Back as Harvey Specter in Suits L.A. Was a ‘Full Circle Moment’ from His Childhood (Exclusive)

Gabriel Macht didn’t realize how nostalgic it would be to step back into Harvey Specter’s shoes.

Gabriel, who played the no-nonsense attorney on Suits from 2011 to 2019, reprised the role for a guest-star arc in Suits L.A., and the first scenes he shot for the spinoff were coincidentally filmed at the park where he grew up playing baseball.

“We ended up shooting the first couple scenes at Rancho Park, which is the park that I practiced high school baseball at,” the L.A. native, 53, tells PEOPLE. “So getting into a uniform and playing baseball for that scene, not only was it nostalgic just to be Harvey again, [but also to be] on a set with my showrunner from the original show, Aaron [Korsh] and the directors are the same directors and writers. So that was all very nostalgic.”

Gabriel’s father, fellow actor Stephen Macht, also stopped by during filming, which made things all the more special.

“I said, ‘If you want to see a scene, you should come to this scene.’ There he is sitting in the stands… where he used to watch me play [as a kid],” he recalls. “That was this full-circle moment.”

Gabriel says that it was “extremely nostalgic on that level” to film his first scenes back at such a familiar place, as he reflects, “To be in this space of recreating this character that has sort of made a dent in the business, in the public zeitgeist, and coming back, it was an interesting sort of dynamic. It was not only nostalgic, but it was a sweet, sort of full-circle moment.”

All around, the return to Harvey was surprisingly easy for the actor, who has taken a step back from the industry since Suits‘ conclusion in 2019.

“It was a little surprising that it was easy only in that Aaron didn’t write really impossibly difficult dialogue for me,” Gabriel says. “For once.”

Korsh made sure to toss in “one or two speeches” for Gabriel though, which “triggered some flashbacks for me,” he teases. “For the most part, it was a lot of fun. We had a good time.”

Working with Stephen Amell, who plays L.A.-based attorney Ted Black in the series, was also a highlight.

“Stephen was really excellent to work with — and the whole cast. I didn’t have many scenes with the rest of the cast, but we had a good time,” Gabriel says.

The father of two previously told PEOPLE he “had very little interest” in returning to the acting world but decided he would reprise Harvey as “a way that I could sort of pass the baton to Stephen [Amell] and the cast in L.A.”

“If I [could have] anything to do with helping support the show and getting it off [the ground], it’s almost like [giving] a blessing,” he said.

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New episodes of Suits L.A. premiere Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on NBC.