The small screen really loves Sarah Rafferty — as the fiery secretary-turned-COO Donna on “Suits,” as sweet mother Katherine on Netflix’s “My Life with the Walter Boys,” and now as a star of a Super Bowl commercial.
Even better, it’s a Super Bowl commercial that brought her back together with former “Suits” co-stars Gina Torres and Rick Hoffman.
“It really did feel like a party,” Rafferty tells TODAY.com of their reunion. “It was like the kind of cocktail party where you just have these amazing conversations and you just leave filled up, like your cup’s more full than when you came in.”
The E.l.f. Cosmetics commercial debuted Feb. 7 and is set in a courtroom (an apropos setting for these three actors) with Judge Judy presiding over the case of the ultimate beauty crime: overpriced makeup. Meghan Trainor, Emmanuel Acho, Benito Skinner and “Jury Duty’s” Ronald Gladden join the fun, too.
The ad’s debut was just the opportunity for Rafferty to spill her own beauty tips with TODAY.com — and some teasers for “Suits” fans, too.
Rafferty’s beauty tips? SPF and ‘let the freckles out’
While starring in “Suits” as the chic and polished Donna Paulsen, Rafferty says she became married to makeup looks she always asked for — warm and coppery tones — but was keen on “letting her skin look like skin.”
“Makeup artists ask me about that a lot, like, ‘Do you want your freckles to be seen?’” she tells TODAY.com. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, it’s really going to be hard to not have them seen.’ I love freckles. It’s a part of me — so I say let the freckles out.”
On a day-to-day basis, she says she sticks to keeping it minimal when it comes to makeup.
“I think, especially as I get older, I’m really happy with less is more,” she says. “(Cream products) just feel fresh, dewy and glowy on the skin. … I don’t like anything to be baked on powdery. I would rather be shiny, I’m not scared of that.”
As for her kids, Rafferty also tells TODAY.com she insists on being the “SPF police” with her two daughters, Oona, 16, and Iris, 11.
“If I could just cover their faces in zinc oxide whenever they’re at the beach, I would, but they will not let me,” she jokes.
What Rafferty thinks of all the love for ‘Suits’ — and what she knows about its new spinoff
“Suits,” which aired on USA Network from 2011 to 2019, is seeing a huge wave of new viewership since hitting Netflix in 2023. Rafferty says the show’s renewed popularity has been “really meaningful,” especially at times when people turn to TV for comfort.
“The news isn’t great and the world is feeling more and more fractured. Social media is a place that can sometimes really make you feel lonely and isolated and overwhelmed,” she tells TODAY.com. “I feel like all of these people who are watching ‘Suits’ ... they’re finding connection, or they’re finding escape, or they’re finding some meaning in it for themselves, or finding some joy, right? I’ve always dreamed to be a part of something that could provide that for people.”
“Suits” is also potentially getting a new spinoff series called “Suits: LA”; NBCUniversal ordered a pilot with the original “Suits” creator writing and producing. Though Rafferty tells TODAY.com that she can’t spoil anything specific about that series, she did say that she’s looking forward to it.
“I’m very excited for our creator and close friend, Aaron Korsh,” she says. “It’s in the ‘Suits’ universe ... but it’s a completely different world. I’m excited to watch it as a fan. I mean, I’ve been chatting with him about the process so far, so I’m excited. I don’t think I can spoil anything for you. I can’t give anything away at this point.”
(NBCUniversal, which also owns USA Network, is the parent company of TODAY.com.)
What Rafferty, a Swiftie, hopes to see at the Super Bowl
Yes, folks — Sarah Rafferty is a Swiftie. And though she’s not necessarily rooting for a specific team to win the Super Bowl this season, she says she’s excited to potentially see Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce together. (Though it’s unclear if Swift has plans to go.)
“We all need to just enjoy good news, and it’s lovely to see this — to see two people in love and supporting each other in their big careers,” Rafferty says.
“Am I excited about the Super Bowl? Yes. Do I care about football? You know, I’ll plead the fifth on that,” she adds, laughing.
