Meghan Markle ‘a bit rusty’ but excited as she films new movie role

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, joked she was “a bit rusty” on her return to acting.

The 44-year-old royal left legal drama Suits eight years ago before announcing her engagement to Prince Harry but she has landed a small role in upcoming movie Close Personal Friends, in which she will play herself, and was “genuinely excited” to be on set in Pasadena, California, last week.

An insider told People magazine: “She introduced herself as ‘Meghan’. Everything about her was very sweet and calm.

“She genuinely seemed excited to be on set. She was joking that she felt a bit rusty, but it was obvious that she had rehearsed and that it was a big deal for her to be back. And she was great.

“She had a very warm energy, too. She was super pleasant to be around.”

It was previously revealed the role in Close Personal Friends, which stars Brie Larson, Lily Collins, Jack Quaid and Henry Golding, was Meghan’s first attempt to explore returning to her previous career.

An insider told The Sun newspaper: “This is a massive moment for Meghan and signifies a return to doing what she truly loves. She has been swamped with offers but this one felt right.

“It is Meghan’s way of gently putting her toe back in the water and seeing how she enjoys being back on set.

“Everyone involved is super-excited and has been sworn to secrecy about her involvement.”

Before joining the British royal family, the actor – then known as Meghan Markle – landed roles in the likes of Horrible Bosses, Anti-Social, CSI: NY, 90210, Knight Rider and Castle.

She hasn’t acted since wrapping her final scene for Suits in 2017, which aired the following year.

During a joint engagement interview with Harry in 2017, Meghan, who wed the prince in 2018 and went on to have children Prince Archie, 6, and 4-year-old Princess Lilibet with him, opened up about her decision to move to Britain and leave her acting career behind.

She told BBC presenter Mishal Husain at the time: “I don’t see it as giving anything up, I just see it as a change.

“It’s a new chapter. Right. And also keep in mind I’ve been working on my show for seven years.

“So we’re very very fortunate to be able to have that sort of longevity on a series and for me, once we hit the 100-episode marker I thought, you know what, I have ticked this box and I feel really proud of the work I’ve done there and now it’s time to, as you said, work as a team with [Harry].”