Meghan Markle is reportedly stepping back into the Hollywood spotlight and making her return to acting following an eight-year hiatus.
Meghan, 44, is said to be teaming up with Lily Collins, Brie Larson, Jack Quaid and Henry Golding for the upcoming film Close Personal Friends, People reported on Wednesday, November 5. (The Sun was first to report the news.)
The Duchess of Sussex was spotted on the Pasadena, California, set on Wednesday, according to the outlet, which reported that Meghan will be playing herself in the Amazon MGM Studios production.
Us Weekly has reached out to Meghan’s rep and Amazon MGM Studios for comment.
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“Meghan was on the set today,” an insider told People. “She has a small part. She seemed very relaxed and happy. She introduced herself to everyone and was very sweet and down-to-earth.”
Additionally, a source told The Sun on Wednesday that Meghan’s cameo in the movie is a “massive moment” for her and “signifies a return to doing what she truly loves.” (Plot details for the film have been kept under wraps.)
The insider claimed that the duchess “has been swamped with offers but this one felt right.”
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“It is Meghan’s way of gently putting her toe back in the water and seeing how she enjoys being back on set,” the source added. “Everyone involved is super-excited, and have been sworn to secrecy about her involvement.”
Meghan’s new project already has one fan in her husband, Prince Harry, according to The Sun.
“Prince Harry is, of course, really supportive and quite simply wants Meghan to do whatever brings her joy,” the source said.
Close Personal Friends marks the first acting role for Meghan since announcing her retirement from the business in November 2017. At the time, Meghan and Harry, 41, were newly engaged and she was learning to step into her role as a member of the royal family.
“I think what’s been so exciting [transitioning] out of my career and into, as you said, the causes I can focus even more energy on, very early out of the gate, [is that you] have a voice that people listen to, a lot of responsibility,” Meghan said in her first joint interview Harry, hours after their engagement news broke.
She explained at the time that she saw her new role as “a new change, a new chapter,” after becoming an actress in the early 2000s.
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“I’ve been working on my show seven years, we were so fortunate to have that longevity, and I feel like I checked that box and am very proud of the work I’ve done there,” Meghan said of Suits, which starred on from 2011 to 2018.
After marrying Harry in May 2018, Meghan became a senior working royal fulfilling duties on behalf of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
However, she and Harry stepped back from their royal roles in 2020 and relocated to California to raise their family. The couple, who share son Prince Archie, 6, and daughter Princess Lilibet, 4, have continued their charity work while in the U.S.
Meghan and Harry have also slowly returned to the entertainment business beginning with their 2022 Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan. She also hosted the “Archetypes” podcast and released season 2 of her lifestyle show, With Love, Meghan, in March.
While Meghan has yet to comment on her role in Close Personal Friends, the rest of the cast started sharing photos from set in September.
“Close (personal) friends only…,” Collins, 36, captioned a group selfie with Golding, 38, Larson, 36, and Quaid, 33, at the time.
