My eyes nearly popped out of my head when I learned that Meghan Markle is making a surprising return to acting, filming the movie Close Personal Friends in LA, alongside Emily In Paris star Lily Collins, Oscar winner Brie Larson, The Boys alum Jack Quaid and Crazy Rich Asians actor Henry Golding.
As a showbiz and TV writer, I’ll inevitably have to review her performance at some point, and to say I’m not looking forward to it would be an understatement. Let’s face it, if the Duchess had any self-awareness, she’d agree that while she may have identified as an actress and had a role on a TV show, she was more “getting by” than earning accolades or impressing people with her talent.
Before Suits, she was just one of many attractive women attending auditions in LA without much success. Her acting skills didn’t go much beyond a girlish smile and giggle.
Her most notable acting achievement before landing her role as Rachel Zane in the legal drama was playing a girl performing a sex act on a guy in a car on 90210 in 2008. And even that wasn’t convincing.
She never seemed to take her acting career seriously, using it merely as a stepping stone to boost her Instagram followers. Typically, actors from shows like Suits would spend their hiatus filming a Lifetime movie or landing a bigger film role or even a stage show, reports the Express.
This approach diversifies their resumes and keeps them versatile. It also prepares them for a career post-show. These actions don’t reflect an actor passionate about their craft, but rather someone who views themselves as a celebrity who dabbles in acting.
Now, she’s apparently going to portray herself! Acting alongside an Oscar winner and two nepotism beneficiaries. There are numerous problems with this. “Playing” yourself on screen (shouldn’t it be “being” yourself?) is one of the most challenging tasks. Actors spend their lives hiding behind characters and find it hard to be that vulnerable.
This is a risky move for someone making a comeback to acting. All eyes will be on her, and with rumors swirling that Hollywood is growing weary of her and Harry’s antics, the pressure is mounting for her to deliver a solid performance in a well-written role. But I won’t be holding my breath.
Even greats like Al Pacino, who has done it twice – in 2012’s Jack and Jill and 2019’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood – struggled to be convincing when he had no character to hide behind. Yet Meghan, with her far less extensive resume than Pacino, believes she can pull this off. First, she needs to decide which version of Meghan we’ll see – the mother, lifestyle guru, environmentalist, businesswoman, or activist. The list is endless.
Then, she must inject some authenticity into her role, something she often struggles with. This is clearly a publicity stunt for the project, and hats off to the producers because it’s working. But labeling it as a “return to acting” is a joke.
Meryl Streep isn’t losing sleep over this. At best, it’s a celebrity cameo, but at its core, it’s a vanity project for Meghan, plain and simple. If I could give one piece of advice, it would be to tread carefully.
Every seasoned actor knows that one bad acting gig can spell the end of your career, even if you are the Duchess of Sussex.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.the-express.com ’
