Liberating to play Jessica Pearson outside 'Suits', says Gina Torres

Gina Torres says it was "liberating" to play Jessica Pearson outside the periphery of "Suits", which revolved more around Harvey Specter and Mike Ross.

Gabriel Macht and Patrick J Adams played Harvey and Mike, respectively.

Torres is set to reprise her role in her spin-off "Pearson", in which disbarred lawyer Jessica takes on the dirty realm of Chicago politics as the mayor's right-hand woman.

The actor said the new show gave her an opportunity to put flesh and blood on a fully realised human.

"Not that I didn't love working with that cast and those story lines, but it's just such a gift, as an actor, to explore these different aspects of a woman, a powerhouse, a boss, a lover, a niece," she told Entertainment Weekly.

Asked how "Pearson" will be different from "Suits", Torres said tonally it will be "a little darker".

"We're much more interested in being reflective of what's happening today and how it's affecting society. Therefore, our background of Chicago is very important, because it's a city good, bad, and indifferent representing all of that... Within all of that, there's gallows humour," she added.

"Pearson" premieres on USA Network alongside with the ninth and final season of "Suits" on July 17.