Meghan Markle opened up about her return to Hollywood, revealing in a newinterview she never thought she’d be back after leaving suits in 2018 to gomarry Prince Harry.
“I didn’t think I’d ever be in the entertainment industry again,” Markleexplained to variety.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they would be stepping down as seniormembers of the royal family in Jan. 2020. Although they eventually landed inMontecito, Calif., about two hours north of Los Angeles, the couple quicklyjumped into the entertainment business. Their company Archewell inkedmultimillion dollar deals with Netflix — where they will create both scriptedand non-scripted show — and Spotify, where Markle just launched her buzzypodcast Archetypes. But the kind of content they want to create may come asa surprise.
“So much of how my husband and I see things is through our love story. I thinkthat’s what people around the world connected to, especially with our wedding.People love love,” Markle shared. “I’m not excluded in that sentiment. And ourdefinition of love is really expansive: Partner love, self-love, the love ofcommunity and family. We use that as the baseline of the kind of shows anddocumentaries we want out there .”
Markle said she and Prince Harry want to “do something fun.”
“It doesn’t always have to be so serious. Like a good rom-com. Don’t we missthem? I miss them so much. I’ve probably watched When Harry Met Sally amillion times. And all the Julia Roberts rom-coms. We need to see thoseagain,” she declared.
There is one genre they likely won’t touch, though.
“I don’t think you’ll ever see us doing a horror film,” Markle said. the_suits_ alum was equally as defiant when asked if she would ever go back toacting.
“No. I’m done,” Markle replied. “I guess never say never, but my intention isto absolutely not.”
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Meghan Markle opens up about her next chapter after leaving the monarchy.(Photo: Getty Images)
Prince Harry and Markle are parents to two young children — Archie Harrison,3, and Lilibet Diana, 1. The activist said she would be supportive if her kidseventually wanted to go into show business.
“I would say, ‘Great!’ When you become a parent, you genuinely want your kidsto find the things that bring them complete joy. she said. “But I want them tobe able to carve out their own path. If it’s the entertainment industry,great. And also, good luck. There are so many people that will talk about whatopened the door for my children. But it still takes talent and a lot of grit.We’re creating multidimensional, interesting, kind, creative people. That’swho our kids are.”
It’s only a matter of time before Markle is portrayed on-screen — in somethingother than a Lifetime movie. The former actress was asked if it’s “odd” toknow someone will likely play her in the future. ( Cough … like on Netflix’s_The Crown_.)
“I haven’t given that much thought, to be honest. It’s all weird. You have tocompartmentalize. Anyone talking about me or casting an actor to play me, thatwill be a caricature of me that has been created for a business that makespeople a lot of money. Once you can separate that out, it’s much easier to go:’OK. That actually has nothing to do with me.’ It genuinely doesn’t. It’s ahard lesson to come to grips with,” Markle replied.
As for the advice she’d give the actor, Markle said she hopes the person “shefinds the softness and the playfulness and the laughter. The silliness. I justhope she finds the dimensions. Also, she can call me!”
Markle noted how the entertainment industry “has shifted quite a bit since Iwas a part of it,” but there’s one part that’s remained the same — and it hassomething very much in common with the monarchy.
“Going through the process you did with the monarchy and then becoming aprivate citizen again, are those institutions similar?” variety asked.
“Every business has a model. I worked for NBCUniversal and the USA Network,and that was all part of a very large organization,” Markle recalled, notinghow vice chairman Bonnie Hammer was her “mentor.”
“For me, it was always about being able to find your North Star within thatmodel. Find someone who believes in you. As complex as any organization mightbe, there is always some thing in it that I think is positive,” Marklecontinued . “It’s important to focus on that. Some industries are verydifferent, and yet, business models for a lot of things — they have a bottomline. That bottom line needs to be held, I suppose.”