Eight years after stepping away from the spotlight to marry Prince Harry, Meghan Markle is officially returning to the acting world. The Duchess of Sussex, 44, has reportedly been spotted on a Los Angeles set in Pasadena for her first role since leaving the hit legal series Suits back in 2017.
The highly anticipated project is an Amazon MGM Studios film titled Close Personal Friends. Adding extra buzz to her return, Meghan is set to join an A-list ensemble cast that includes Oscar winner Brie Larson, Emily in Paris’ Lily Collins, Jack Quaid, and Crazy Rich Asians’ Henry Golding.
A Gentle Dip Back in the Water
Instead of revisiting a fictional character like Rachel Zane, her breakout role on Suits, the Duchess will reportedly play herself in the new film. Close Personal Friends centers on the relationship between two couples—one famous and one non-famous.
Sources close to the production are calling this a “massive moment for Meghan”. An insider claimed that the role “signifies a return to doing what she truly loves”. Despite being “swamped with offers,” the Duchess felt this particular project “felt right”. The source added that this is Meghan’s way of “gently putting her toe back in the water and seeing how she enjoys being back on set”.
However, the decision to play herself hasn’t been met without critique. One commentator suggested that from an artistic perspective, playing herself is a “careful and safe” move, noting that it may not be very satisfying or challenging.
The news of her return comes following previous reports that some of her and Prince Harry’s other media ventures had struggled to find an audience, including the second season of her Netflix cooking series, With Love, Meghan. Despite previous comments in 2022 where she suggested her intention was “absolutely not” to return to acting, Meghan did recently admit on a podcast that she “sometimes” misses acting.
Harry is "Really Supportive"
When Meghan famously quit acting in 2017, ahead of her engagement to Harry, she stated that she was proud of her work on Suits but was ready for a “new chapter” to work with Harry as a team. Now, as she returns to the screen, Prince Harry is said to be completely onboard. Sources reveal that the Duke of Sussex is “really supportive and quite simply wants Meghan to do whatever brings her joy”.
Before marrying Harry and joining the Royal Family in 2018, Meghan was most famous for her seven seasons playing paralegal Rachel Zane on Suits. Her previous credits also include roles in films such as Horrible Bosses and Remember Me, as well as television appearances in shows like 90210, Castle, and CSI: Miami.
It seems Hollywood is welcoming back the Duchess, as sources confirmed that everyone involved in Close Personal Friends is “super-excited, and have been sworn to secrecy about her involvement”.
