Meghan Markle says she struggled to find acting roles due to her mixed race: ‘They thought I was Latina'

Hindustan Times

3 hours ago

Meghan Markle is opening up about her acting days. During an appearance on the Aspire with Emma Grede podcast, the Duchess of Sussex reflected on some of the hardest phases in her life. Recounting the invisible barriers she faced during auditions, she revealed that she was often told she didn't quite 'fit' anywhere. Despite all this, the Suits alum admitted that these hurdles helped her become the person she is today.
Reflecting on the countless rejections she endured, Meghan said: 'When I was an auditioning actress and this is well before Suits, you have to think at that time there were certainly not a lot of mixed race parts.'
'If I was going in for an audition… it was 'girl next door' that was typically blonde haired, blue-eyed… But because I'm half white, I would also be submitted for those roles,' Meghan added.
The rejections weren't always about talent, she hinted. Rather, it was the industry's outdated lens. 'And I also to a lot of people in casting, they thought I was Latina. So I share that because, and I've shared this before, it was a numbers game.'
The Duchess, now 43, also spoke about grappling with self-doubt that was hard to shake off while constantly being judged. But motherhood, she said, helped shift her mindset.
'When you're so consumed with what everyone around you thinks of you… that can be a really hard way to live. In my 40s, and as a mom… you want to set an example for what your children are going to think about themselves,' she admitted.
Meghan highlighted how important it is to be real, especially for her children. 'You have to be so authentically the role model…You can't fake that. You want to model that for them," she explained.
ALSO READ: Meghan Markle posts heartfelt video of Prince Harry, their children on Father's Day
Today, Meghan stands at a very different point in her life. She's no longer in audition rooms hoping to be cast. Instead, she's building platforms of her own.
From Confessions of a Female Founder to her Netflix cooking show, With Love, Meghan, Meghan is writing her own script.
And through it all, she carries the lessons from her acting days. 'You can't have impostor syndrome around…All of that really shifted in the past six years of becoming a mom," she added.
Meghan Markle said that she often didn't get roles due to being mixed-race.
The Duchess of Sussex spoke about it on the podcast Aspire with Emma Grede.
Meghan Markle has her podcast Confessions of a Female Founder, a cooking show, With Love, Meghan on Netflix, and an online lifestyle store called As Ever.