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The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, appeared on the June 17, 2025 episode of the Aspire with Emma Grede podcast, where she discussed the challenges she faced before starring in Suits. In a conversation with British businesswoman Emma Grede, Meghan claimed that she was submitted for "blonde-haired, blue-eyed" role auditions for being "half-White."
"When I was an auditioning actress, and this was well before Suits... at that time there were certainly not a lot of mixed-race parts… if I was going in for an audition, it was either… ‘Girl Next Door’. That was typically blonde-haired, blue-eyed, and a certain look. But because I’m half-white, I would also be submitted for those roles," she explained.
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Before her breakout role in Suits, the 42-year-old had a varied acting career with small appearances in film and television. This included roles in movies like Remember Me and Horrible Bosses.
However, Meghan Markle rose to prominence in 2011 when she was cast as Rachel Zane on Suits. Her character began as a paralegal and eventually became a lawyer while navigating a complex romantic relationship with the character, Mike Ross.
During the interview with Grede, Markle explained that if a character had any form of ethnic background, there was usually "a bit of an edge" written into them. Before her Suits success, those were also the roles she was submitted for.
Markle also shared how casting professionals often assumed she was "Latina." She explained that because of this assumption, she was considered for a broad range of roles that did not necessarily reflect her identity.
"It was a numbers game… if I’m only up for 10 parts, that could be 10 no’s. But if I’m up for 30 parts, because I can fit into so many different rooms, that could be 30 no’s. That is a lot to chip away at your self-esteem. That is really hard," Markle remarked.
Meghan Markle opens up about leaving Suits during the Aspire podcast, says she "missed" her crew
Meghan Markle also reflected on her departure from Suits in the aforementioned podcast episode. Markle left the show and acting ahead of her marriage to Harry. She later decided to take on the humanitarian work she could do as a royal as her new career.
When host Emma Grede asked her whether she ever missed acting, the Duchess of Sussex replied in the affirmative, adding that she "sometimes" did.
"But you know what, actually, having a large team, being back on set with With Love, Meghan was great, because I realized how much I missed my crew. I love being around a crew," Meghan Markle explained.
Markle also explained how difficult it was to walk away from acting. She called her departure "different" and revealed that, due to the secrecy surrounding her relationship, she left Suits without a proper farewell to her cast and crew.
"It was such a unique time, because we couldn’t say that I was leaving, necessarily… It was speculated. So, after seven years on the series, we couldn’t have a going-away party. I couldn’t say my goodbyes… If my crew's watching, I miss you guys. I wish I could have said bye," she added.
After working closely with the same people for "seven years", Markle had formed "really strong connections" with the people she worked with. So the quiet nature of her exit from Suits made it "so sad."
This was not the first time Meghan Markle had spoken about leaving acting behind. In an interview in 2017, the first one after announcing her engagement to Prince Harry, Markle had discussed her decision to step away from the entertainment industry. At the time, she described it not as a loss, but a natural evolution.
"I don’t see it as giving anything up, I just see it as a change… It’s a new chapter, right? Also, keep in mind I had been working on my show for seven years…once we hit the 100 episode marker, I thought, you know what, I have ticked this box... now it’s time to work as team with [Harry]," Meghan Markle said (as per Time).
Additionally, during the Aspire podcast, Markle also said that her acting experiences helped her in her present roles of entrepreneur and podcast host.
At present, Meghan Markle remains focused on her business ventures. This includes her lifestyle brand, As Ever, and a media production company, Archewell Productions.
