Meghan Markle Reveals Major Struggle: 'Not a Lot of Mixed Race Parts'
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Meghan Markle has spoken about getting repeatedly rejected for acting roles during her early career because there were "not a lot of mixed race parts."
The Duchess of Sussex said struggled to land "girl next door" roles that would often go to blonde actresses, and also suggested she did not have enough "edge" for characters that "had any sort of ethnicity."
She made the comments as a guest on podcast Aspire with Emma Grede where she talked about not allowing "negative self talk" to impact her business ventures.
The California-born star's father, Thomas Markle Sr. is caucasian, and her mother, Doria Ragland is African American. Meghan revealed in 2022 that a genealogy test had shown she was "forty-three percent Nigerian."
Meghan Markle attends the TIME100 Summit, at Jazz at Lincoln Center, in New York City, on April 23, 2025.
Meghan Markle attends the TIME100 Summit, at Jazz at Lincoln Center, in New York City, on April 23, 2025.for TIME
Why It Matters
Meghan has spoken out about racial discrimination many times, including in relation to her experiences with the press and social media, and famously accused an unnamed royal of expressing "concerns" about the color of her unborn child's skin.
However, she has less frequently spoken about racial barriers to her success as an actress. She did discuss the subject, though, in the period before her wedding to Prince Harry, in May 2018.
What Meghan Told Emma Grede About Race and Acting
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 either, you have to remember this was a very different time than it is now... it was '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 and if it was a character that had any sort of ethnicity there was always a bit of a edge to those characters but I'd be submitted for those roles.
"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.
"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."
Meghan Markle on 'Imposter Syndrome'
Meghan now has a Netflix cooking show, With Love, Meghan, recently wrapped the first season of her podcast, Confessions of a Female Founer, and has her online store, As Ever
The 43-year-old said she still values the thick skin for rejection she developed as a struggling actress before she landed the role of Rachel Zane in Suits, which first aired in 2011.
"I went through my chapter of self-doubt as an auditioning actor and beyond that," she said, "and when you're so consumed with what everyone around you thinks of you that can be a really hard way to live.
"So I think as I've gotten older, certainly in my 40s, and as a mom you want to set the example for what your children are going to think about themselves.
"And that you can't have an imposter syndrome around. You have to be so authentically the role model and the example of competence, self-forgiveness, kindness, fun all of those things.
"You can't fake that. You want to model that for them. So all of that really shifted in the past six years of becoming a mom."
Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III and Queen Camilla, Prince William and Princess Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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Business Insider
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I feel like it's aged. Rollins: There's something oaky about it. Pettyjohn: It's fancy. Ahlgrim: It's earthy, almost. Whispering Angel had the group split. The final wine of the test was Whispering Angel, which we labeled "wine C." It was a hit or miss vibe for the testers. Pettyjohn: I do like this one. This is what I would consider easy rosé drinking. Ahlgrim: Oh, this is bland. McKenzie: It's very harsh on my tongue. I don't prefer this at all. Rollins: Really? This one seems like an easier drinking version of B and D. McKenzie: This one? I don't like it at all. I just taste more of the alcoholic taste, which I don't love. Ahlgrim: Yes, I think there's very little flavor, and it's more alcohol-forward. This is my least favorite of the four. Rollins: I feel like this one splits the difference between all of them. It's got a bit of the berry of the other ones, but it's still dry, and it's got the rosé. Ahlgrim We revisited all four wines before the reveal. While we still didn't know which wine was which, we compared them to each other, referring to them by their letter code. Overall, our takeaway was that Summer Water was the best for casual rosé drinking, thanks to its light and berry flavor, but the taste of As Ever's wine stood out for being unexpected and refreshing. Miraval sat in the middle of the pack, while Whispering Angel was too alcohol-forward for McKenzie and Ahlgrim. After the big reveal, we loved that As Ever wasn't what we expected from Meghan. When we finally found out which wine was which, we were all surprised that "wine B" was As Ever. Ahlgrim: Oh, that's the one that doesn't taste like rosé! It's weird, and I like that. McKenzie: It was my number two favorite! Ahlgrim: As Ever was my top in terms of what I like in a wine. I like a weirder flavor, but I think Summer Water is more rosé-y. But if I saw As Ever at the store, I would buy it again. Pettyjohn: Me too. 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Once we knew which wine it was, we checked out the As Ever bottle. Its 14.5% alcohol content — the highest of the four — surprised us, particularly because it didn't taste too alcohol-forward. We also liked that the wine seemed versatile. Ahlgrim: It is the best bang for your buck if you're looking for the highest alcohol content. McKenzie: 14.5% is pretty high. Ahlgrim: That surprises me because because of how alcohol-forward I felt like the Whispering Angel was. I expected that to be the highest. Pettyjohn: I like to make a rosé sangria, and I think As Ever would be good with that. Ahlgrim: Ooh, with a bit of prosecco or seltzer in it? Yeah, because the flavor is so strong, it would lend itself well to a mix. Pettyjohn: Yes, exactly. Ahlgrim: It's not a poolside rosé. It's like a charcuterie rosé. Three out of the four of us could see ourselves buying As Ever. Ahlgrim, McKenzie, and I said we would buy As Ever down the line, though we want people to know they shouldn't expect a classic rosé flavor. Rollins had reservations, especially because the bottles are only available in three, six, or 12 packs. Rollins: As Ever was interesting, but I definitely wouldn't order three bottles because of the price and strong flavor. You really have to love the flavor. Pettyjohn: I would buy it! When I went to Sonoma, one winery had a rosé you could try, and it was very similar to this. It didn't taste how you expected a rosé to taste, but it was good. McKenzie: It's a good wine. I would order it again. It was my top two. It tastes like a chardonnay, and I don't mind that. Ahlgrim: The Summer Water would be what I would drink on a Saturday during the day in the summer. Then I would switch to Meghan's at night. I tried As Ever's rosé at home and loved it even more. 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Newsweek
4 hours ago
- Newsweek
How Meghan Markle's US Popularity Compares to Royals
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Meghan Markle's popularity in the United States has had highs and lows in the five years since she moved back to America from Britain. Currently, she has a positive net favorability score, but it has not always been that way after backlash in the aftermath of Prince Harry's book Spare and their Netflix show Harry & Meghan. Markle still has not recovered the level of popularity she enjoyed before the couple's 2021 Oprah Winfrey interview, but she is broadly on positive terms with the U.S. public. Meghan Markle's Popularity Before Oprah U.S. polling on the popularity of the royals is rare compared to Britain, but not non-existent. YouGov has conducted a number of surveys over the years, including in November 2020. Markle was liked by 57 percent and disliked by 30 percent, giving her a net approval rating of plus 27. This compared to Prince Harry at +40, Princess Kate at +49, Prince William at +54 and King Charles III at -13. The couple's rift with the monarchy had not yet fully exploded into the public domain and they had only recently signed their Netflix deal that September. There had, though, been public backlash after Markle called for the "change we all need and deserve" on behalf of former first lady Michelle Obama's "When All Women Vote" initiative in the run-up to the presidential election that toppled President Donald Trump that month. In January 2020, YouGov asked Americans whether they supported or opposed Harry and Meghan stepping back from the monarchy. Exactly half supported the move, 7 percent opposed it and 43 percent answered "don't know." On March 5, 2021, as teasers from Oprah's interview began to drop, YouGov asked whether people were mostly sympathetic to the royals or the Sussexes. At that point, 29 percent backed the Sussexes and 13 percent backed Queen Elizabeth II and the royals, while most said either "both," "neither," "don't know" or "not applicable." Meghan Markle at The Paley Center for Media fall gala at the Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons hotel, in Beverly Hills, California, on December 4, 2024. Meghan Markle at The Paley Center for Media fall gala at the Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons hotel, in Beverly Hills, California, on December 4, 2024. Leon Bennett/FilmMagic Meghan's Popularity After Oprah On March 8, 2021, YouGov conducted a snap poll immediately after its broadcast that showed 68 percent of Americans had sympathy for Harry and Meghan compared to 27 percent who had either not very much or none. This compared to 28 percent who had sympathy for the royals and 68 percent who had either not very much or none. In other words, Americans initially appeared to take Harry and Meghan's side in the immediate aftermath of the interview. By, May 2022, however, YouGov ran further polling that showed a slump in Meghan's net favorability ratings. Meghan was liked by 45 percent of Americans and disliked by 36 percent, giving her a net approval rating of +9. A drop of 18 points compared to November 2020 may seem sharp, but she remained in positive numbers and the slump was significantly less severe than in Britain, where she dropped deep into negative territory. Meanwhile, Harry dropped to plus 18, a 22-point slide, Kate slipped to plus 36, William to plus 31 and Charles crept up to minus 7. Queen Camilla was at minus 13. Meghan's Popularity Around Spare and Netflix Redfield & Wilton conducted further polling on behalf of Newsweek on December 5, 2022, days out from the release of the couple's Harry & Meghan biopic and three months after the death of Queen Elizabeth II. At that time, 43 percent of Americans liked Meghan and she was disliked by 20 percent, meaning a net approval rating of plus 23. Harry was at plus 38, Kate plus 43 and William plus 40, while Charles was at plus 12 and Camilla minus 2. However, the couple crashed in the aftermath of Prince Harry's memoir Spare and Netflix in the eyes of the U.S. public. Further polling by Redfield & Wilton for Newsweek on January 16 showed Meghan dropped 36 points, after she was liked by 26 percent of Americans and disliked by 39 percent, giving her a net approval rating of -13. Harry dropped 45 points to minus 7, while Kate slipped to plus 26, William to plus 21, Charles to plus 8 and Camilla to minus 8. Meghan's Popularity in 2025 YouGov's most recent polling of Americans came in April, when 41 percent liked Meghan and 26 percent disliked her, giving a net rating of plus 15. Meanwhile, Harry was at plus 35, Kate was at plus 43, William was at plus 53, Charles was at plus 21 and Camilla was at minus seven. In summary, Meghan has consistently polled behind William, Kate and Harry and in front of Camilla. She has mostly polled ahead of King Charles except in the most recent poll, in which he did unusually well. While she may not command figures as strong as her brother-in-law and sister-in-law, she has substantially bounced back from her lowest point in the aftermath of Spare. She has not, though, regained the high ratings she enjoyed before Oprah, in November 2020. Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page. Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@ We'd love to hear from you.
