Meghan Markle 'channelled Julia Roberts in Variety video interview'

Meghan Markle channelled Julia Roberts in her Variety video with the same ‘giggling’ laugh and ‘self-heckling’ facial expressions as she unleashes ‘girly girl’ side, claims body language expert

Expert Judi James believes Meghan wanted to appear ‘friendly, relatable’ and like a ‘girly, girl’ in Variety video
Duchess of Sussex, 41, repeatedly rocked a wide smile reminiscent of the Pretty Woman star, 54, in clip
Meghan spoke to Variety about a wide-range of issues including ‘misconceptions’ about her and Prince Harry

Meghan Markle was channelling Julia Roberts in her latest video interview in a bid to appear ‘friendly, relatable’ and like a ‘girly girl’, a body language expert has claimed.

The Duchess of Sussex, 41, ‘giggled’ and performed ‘self-heckling’ facial expressions reminiscent of the Pretty Woman star, 54, as she discussed a wide-range of issues with her favoured US lifestyle magazine Variety.

Rocking a string of expensive outfits, including a £4,657 Jason Wu dress and a £2,667 Carolina Herrera garment, Meghan waxed lyrical about her and Prince Harry’s ‘love story’, which she said had inspired the world because ‘people love love.’

She was filmed laughing and joking and even lying on her stomach while kicking her legs as she declared her love for ‘rom coms’, in particular When Harry Met Sally, before adding: ‘Equally, put Julia Roberts in anything and I’m going to be a fan of those too.’

According to body language expert Judi James, the four-minute clip shows a ‘range of Meghans on display’, from the ‘cheesy mom’ to the ‘elegant model’.

Speaking to MailOnline, she explained: ‘In this new video we see a version of Meghan that has maybe been kept under wraps so far, which is all about coyness, giggles and self-effacing references.

‘Did her meeting with Paris Hilton unleash the ‘girly girl’ that Paris refers to on the podcast? If so, Meghan seems to be going all out to make it a liberating experience.

‘The feminist and the intellectual, global campaigner seems to have moved off-stage and the body language replacement seems to be channeling Julia Roberts, who she even references as she speaks of her love of rom-coms.

‘There is the same, Roberts-style giggling laugh that is part hidden behind one hand and the gentle self-heckling facial expressions as she mimes scrolling through the TV channels at night or relates how she finds herself singing dinosaur songs thanks to Archie’s love of ‘getting into throwback shows’.’

Ms James added: ‘The range of Meghans on display here run from a warm, ‘cheesy’ mom who loves looking at her kids to a more elegant Meghan modelling designer ball gowns in the back garden.

According to body language expert Judi James, the clip from the Variety interview shows a ‘range of Meghans on display’, from the ‘cheesy mom’ to the ‘elegant model’

Julia Roberts, 54, pictured here in the hit 90s classic Notting Hill, is famed for her million-dollar smile

The Duchess of Sussex has given another major and wide-ranging interview with the US media and is pictured here on the cover of Variety

‘The aim seems to be for her to appear friendly, relatable and fun or even that ‘girly girl’ as Paris Hilton calls her on the new podcast.

‘She refers to women not being ‘one note’ and illustrates that in her own behaviour here, which reveals some ‘notes’ of a cuter-looking Meghan we maybe haven’t seen before.’

In the written part of the interview, released on Wednesday and headlined ‘Meghan Markle Lets Her Guard Down’, the Duchess spoke first about her recent trip to the UK with Harry where their pseudo-royal tour was interrupted by Her Majesty’s death aged 96 on September 8.

But in a hint that her death had been troublesome for Harry, who reportedly found out about the passing of his grandmother the just five minutes before the rest of the world, she said of the days and weeks afterwards: ‘It’s been a complicated time, but my husband, ever the optimist, said: ‘Now she’s reunited with her husband’.’

Harry had looked heartbroken as he arrived at Balmoral after learning the Queen had died on a private jet travelling alone without his wife. He stayed for 12 hours, apparently refused to have dinner with King Charles and Prince William and also took a backseat at the funeral where he was not allowed to salute irrespective of his military service.

But despite claims that she and Harry have set out to damage the Royal Family since emigrating in 2020, Meghan told Variety that she remains ‘proud’ of her relationship with Queen and had a ‘nice warmth’ with her, calling Her Majesty a ‘matriarch’.

She said: ‘There’s been such an outpouring of love and support. I’m really grateful that I was able to be with my husband to support him, especially during that time.

‘What’s so beautiful is to look at the legacy that his grandmother was able to leave on so many fronts. Certainly, in terms of female leadership, she is the most shining example of what that looks like. I feel deep gratitude to have been able to spend time with her and get to know her.

She added: ‘I’ve reflected on that first official engagement that I had with her, how special that felt. I feel fortunate. And I continue to be proud to have had a nice warmth with the matriarch of the family.’

And opening up for the first time about how she felt after the Oprah interview where the Sussexes accused the Royal Family of racism, she said her California friends had gathered around her to support her.

She said: ‘It’s like they knew exactly what I needed to feel in that moment. It meant, and still means, so very much to me. The power of sisterhood and female support can never be underestimated.’

But she said that the public has ‘misconceptions’ about her, adding: ‘I think that what happens, looking in from the outside, when there is this much noise, is that you become dehumanized’. She said she hopes her Archetypes podcast will help people see her as a ‘real person’.

The Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle lays on the ground in a £4,657 Jason Wu dress

The Duchess of Sussex also describes what life was like after that explosive Oprah interview, Harry’s love for In-N-Out Burger, her podcast ‘Archetypes,’ and the Netflix documentary they are making as part of their $100million contract with the streaming giant.

Meghan Markle has opened up about her relationship with the Queen in her latest interview, with US magazine Variety.

The Duchess of Sussex, 41, said she has been reminiscing about her first joint engagement with Queen Elizabeth II, which took place in June 2018 in Widnes, Cheshire, since the death of the late Sovereign on September 8.

Speaking with one of her favoured US magazines at her Montecito house, Meghan, said the late Monarch made her feel special during the event, which saw them opening the Mersey Gateway Bridge.

Photographs from the time saw the two women appearing to enjoy each other’s company, sharing a joke and laughing.

More than four years on, and after Meghan and Prince Harry’s much talked about departure from the royal family and bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, the Duchess of Sussex said she is ‘grateful’ to have been able to spend time with Queen Elizabeth, with whom she said she shared a ‘nice warmth.’

Meghan took part in a glamorous photo shoot for the interview, and was also filmed talking about her recent trip to the UK with Harry where their pseudo-royal tour was interrupted by Her Majesty’s death aged 96.

In a hint that her death had been troublesome for Harry, who reportedly found out about the passing of his grandmother the just five minutes before the rest of the world, she said of the days and weeks afterwards: ‘It’s been a complicated time, but my husband, ever the optimist, said: ‘Now she’s reunited with her husband’.’

Speaking of her engagement with the Queen four years ago, Meghan told the publication: ‘I’ve reflected on that first official engagement that I had with her, how special that felt. I feel fortunate.

‘And I continue to be proud to have had a nice warmth with the matriarch of the family,’ she added.

At the time, the 92-year-old Monarch seemed to enjoy a growing bond with her grandson’s wife, 36.

Meghan and the Queen seemed to be getting on famously, with Meghan whispering into the Queen’s ear while watching a children’s performance at the opening of the new bridge.

Meghan also poured her heart out to writer Matt Donnelly about how she will not return to acting again despite the success of Suits and being free of royal duties, raising more suspicions that she could enter US politics.

‘No. I’m done. I guess never say never, but my intention is to absolutely not,’ she said.

She also offered to help coach any actress who plays her in a drama in future.

She said: ‘I hope that in preparing for that role, she finds the softness and the playfulness and the laughter. The silliness. I just hope she finds the dimensions. Also, she can call me!’

The Duchess of Sussex also describes what life was like after that explosive Oprah interview, her podcast ‘Archetypes,’ and the Netflix documentary they are making as part of their $100million contract with the streaming giant.

She also revealed Harry’s love for fast food joint In-N-Out Burger and how they eat ‘chocolate chip cookies the size of my toddler’s head’ while taking breaks from joint Zoom meetings or ‘commuting’ together to LA.

Speaking of Harry’s eating habits: ‘My husband’s favorite is In-N-Out. There’s one at the halfway point between LA and our neck of the woods. It’s really fun to go through the drive-thru and surprise them. They know our order.’

Yesterday the Duchess of Sussex told how her time as a glamorous ‘briefcase girl’ on the American version of Deal or No Deal made her feel like a ‘bimbo’.

Meghan, who appeared on 34 episodes of the gameshow, said it was a ‘fascinating’ experience and she was grateful for the work as an auditioning actress. But she said it made her feel ‘not smart’ and she quit because of the focus on how she looked.

In contrast, the duchess told how when she was younger, she saw herself as ‘the smart one and not the pretty one’. And she said she wanted her daughter Lilibet, 16 months, to be valued first for her brain rather than her appearance. ‘I want our daughter to aspire to be slightly higher. Yeah, I want my Lili to want to be educated and want to be smart and to pride herself on those things,’ she said.

Today she said she and Harry are ‘optimistic’ about the future and want to be surrounded by family and friends.

Describing their passions she said: ‘So much of how my husband and I see things is through our love story. I think that’s what people around the world connected to, especially with our wedding. People love love. I’m not excluded in that sentiment. And our definition of love is really expansive: Partner love, self-love, the love of community and family. We use that as the baseline of the kind of shows and documentaries we want out there’.

But there is a hint that they are not as hands on with their upcoming Netflix documentary as first thought. It is being directed by Liz Garbus.

She said: ‘It’s nice to be able to trust someone with our story — a seasoned director whose work I’ve long admired — even if it means it may not be the way we would have told it. But that’s not why we’re telling it. We’re trusting our story to someone else, and that means it will go through their lens’.

Meghan also shared insights into the life in the US, revealing that they share an office where they do Zoom meetings together. She also said that they ‘commute’ together to LA at times – but only after getting their children ready for the day.

She said: ‘We share an office. We work from home, as most people started to do during lockdown. It allows us to have significant time with our kids at this really special moment in their lives. We’ll never get this time back. I make breakfast, and we get the kids set for the day.

‘We do a lot of joint calls and Zooms, but also try to divide what we can focus our energies on so we can accomplish even more. My husband is on a 24-hour time zone, where half of your life is waking up as the other half is going to sleep. It’s kind of the reverse of what I went through living in the U.K.

‘He’s very good at responding on text. Me, I try to be as fast as possible on email. I’ve always said, if it takes less than five minutes, do it now.’

But the Duchess said her acting career is over – despite initially finding fame and fortune on Suits.

She said: ‘ ‘No. I’m done. I guess never say never, but my intention is to absolutely not.’

Meghan during the California photoshoot for Variety

Meghan smiles in another glamourous outfit in the photo and video shoot

The Duchess of Sussex poses as a piece of torquize fabric drops behind her in a California garden

But she was asked about how she would feel about somebody playing her in a drama.

She said: ‘I haven’t given that much thought, to be honest. It’s all weird. You have to compartmentalize. Anyone talking about me or casting an actor to play me, that will be a caricature of me that has been created for a business that makes people a lot of money. Once you can separate that out, it’s much easier to go: ‘OK. That actually has nothing to do with me.’ It genuinely doesn’t. It’s a hard lesson to come to grips with.’

‘I hope that in preparing for that role, she finds the softness and the playfulness and the laughter. The silliness. I just hope she finds the dimensions. Also, she can call me!’

Meghan also admitted that she would not stop her children going into entertainment.

She said: I would say, ‘Great!’ When you become a parent, you genuinely want your kids to find the things that bring them complete joy. They’re our kids, obviously, and they’re part of a legacy and a tradition and a family that will have other expectations.

‘But I want them to be able to carve out their own path. If it’s the entertainment industry, great. And also, good luck. There are so many people that will talk about what opened the door for my children. But it still takes talent and a lot of grit. We’re creating multi-dimensional, interesting, kind, creative people. That’s who our kids are.’

‘My intention is not to act again’: Meghan Markle confesses she’d ‘never say never’ to a return to her first profession – and wants future actresses to portray her as ‘soft and playful’ in her Variety interview

Meghan Markle ruled out an acting return and wants any actresses to portray her as ‘soft and playful’ in any future adaptations of her life.

In a new interview with Variety magazine, the Duchess of Sussex, 41, was promoting her new Spotify podcast Archetypes when talk turned to her early career.

When she met Prince Harry in 2016, the mother-of-two was most famous for her role as Rachel Zane in hit legal drama Suits – but quit the show shortly before the couple’s April 2018 wedding.

Discussing how her professional landscape has changed since then, Meghan said: ‘I didn’t think I’d ever be in the entertainment industry again. But the entire culture has changed; streamers have changed things.’

When quizzed about whether she’d ever perform again, Meghan initially shut down the question with: ‘No. I’m done.’

The Duchess of Sussex was most famous for her role as Rachel Zane in hit legal drama Suits before marrying Prince Harry. The mother-of-two appeared in seven seasons of the show before quitting in 2018

The Duchess of Sussex – pictured with Prince Harry and baby Archie in 2019 – said she would be encouraging if her kids wanted to join the entertainment industry

Acknowledging that Archie and Lilibet’s family connections might give them a headstart, Meghan stressed that it still takes ‘talent and grit’ to be successful. Liliet pictured in June 2022 ahead of her first birthday

But on second thought, the Duchess decided not to rule it out entirely.

She added: ‘I guess never say never, but my intention is to absolutely not.’

Stressing that she’d never ‘given much thought’ to the prospect of another actress playing her one day, Meghan said that they will most likely only know the ‘caricature’ of her.

She added: ‘I hope that in preparing for that role, she finds the softness and the playfulness and the laughter. The silliness. I just hope she finds the dimensions.’

What’s more, the Duchess said she would be encouraging if Archie, three, and Lilibet, one, wanted to pursue a career in entertainment.

She added: ‘When you become a parent, you genuinely want your kids to find the things that bring them complete joy. They’re our kids, obviously, and they’re part of a legacy and a tradition and a family that will have other expectations.

‘But I want them to be able to carve out their own path.’

Acknowledging that Archie and Lilibet’s family connections might give them a headstart, Meghan stressed that it still takes ‘talent and grit’ to be successful in Hollywood.

‘We’re creating multi-dimensional, interesting, kind, creative people,’ she gushed. ‘That’s who our kids are.’

Speaking on her new Archetypes podcast with Paris Hilton earlier this week, the Duchess said she wants her daughter Lilibet to be valued first for her mind, rather than ‘beauty not brains’ as she was on Deal or No Deal at the start of her career.

The Duchess explained: ‘I want our daughter to aspire to be slightly higher. Yeah, I want my Lili to want to be educated and want to be smart and to pride herself on those things.’

Meghan appeared on season two of NBC’s Deal or No Deal 16 years ago. She first stood beside briefcase number 11 for two episodes, then moved to number 24. She left the show midway through the season.

Here are the key parts of yet another Meghan Markle bombshell interview.

Meghan on the death of Queen Elizabeth II:

‘There’s been such an outpouring of love and support. I’m really grateful that I was able to be with my husband to support him, especially during that time. What’s so beautiful is to look at the legacy that his grandmother was able to leave on so many fronts. Certainly, in terms of female leadership, she is the most shining example of what that looks like. I feel deep gratitude to have been able to spend time with her and get to know her. It’s been a complicated time, but my husband, ever the optimist, said, ‘Now she’s reunited with her husband.’

On looking back at her relationship with the Queen since her passing:

‘I’ve reflected on that first official engagement that I had with her, how special that felt. I feel fortunate. And I continue to be proud to have had a nice warmth with the matriarch of the family.’

‘In big moments in life, you get a lot of perspective. It makes you wonder what you want to focus your energy on. Right now, we feel energized and excited about all of the things we’ve been building toward. We’re also focused on our foundation. So much of the work we do includes the philanthropic space.’

On what the days were like after her explosive Oprah interview aired on TV:

‘Even before the interview, I hadn’t been out because I was so pregnant. The one thing I really remember was Gloria Steinem’s birthday, a few days after it aired. I really wanted to celebrate her at what I thought was just going to be a small and intimate birthday lunch. I envisioned it being us eating sandwiches in this cottage she was staying at. Instead, it was an extravaganza — by the way, as she deserves. But I hadn’t really seen people in a long time, and the interview had come out maybe a week before. Walking into a room alone is never easy for me, and I remember feeling a bit uncomfortable. But before I could let my uncertainty linger, Pamela Adlon came up to me and greeted me with such warmth and kindness. She toured me around the room, and at every turn, more generosity and love was felt. Maybe it’s just a testament to the kind of company Glo keeps, but I also think these women were extraordinary to ensure I felt so welcomed. It’s like they knew exactly what I needed to feel in that moment. It meant, and still means, so very much to me. The power of sisterhood and female support can never be underestimated.’

On the biggest misconceptions about her:

‘I think that what happens, looking in from the outside, when there is this much noise, is that you become dehumanized. But if you remember that someone is a human being, then you don’t treat them, talk about them, look at them the same way. My hope for ‘Archetypes’ is that people come out thinking, ‘Oh! She’s a real person! She laughs and asks questions and approaches things with curiosity.’

On what viewers can expect from Liz Garbus’ Netflix docuseries on her and Harry

‘It’s nice to be able to trust someone with our story — a seasoned director whose work I’ve long admired — even if it means it may not be the way we would have told it. But that’s not why we’re telling it. We’re trusting our story to someone else, and that means it will go through their lens.

‘It’s interesting. My husband has never worked in this industry before. For me, having worked on ‘Suits,’ it’s so amazing to be around so much creative energy and to see how people work together and share their own points of view. That’s been really fun.’

On how Hollywood has changed

‘I left ‘Suits’ right after the 100th episode, in 2018. I didn’t think I’d ever be in the entertainment industry again. But the entire culture has changed; streamers have changed things. The ability to create zeitgeist moments like we had in the ’90s — where everyone would tune in at the same time for a show or gather for one moment? — that doesn’t happen anymore. When I was doing ‘Suits,’ that character, Rachel Zane, was in your living room with you while you were in your pajamas eating Chinese takeout. That’s how connected the experience felt then. But to create a cultural moment or conversation requires something different today. Podcasting has been really interesting in that way. It might be one of the only remaining forums where people are alone to listen. Where else do you have that opportunity?’

On the cultural climate when she was in the industry, before the #MeToo and #OscarsSoWhite movements:

‘We didn’t have a name for it at that time. There were just certain things that were accepted. If there was any discomfort, you just dealt with it. It forced a lot of women to live with this idea of staying silent, not being disruptive, not giving voice to the things that might create concern or discomfort.

‘For me, I had tried for so long to land on a show, filming all these pilots, wondering if they would get picked up. All of Season 1 on ‘Suits,’ I was convinced I was going to get recast. All the time. It got to a point where the creator was like, ‘Why are you so worried about this?’

On whether or not she would ever go back to acting:

‘No. I’m done. I guess never say never, but my intention is to absolutely not.’

On what she would say to one of her children if they one day aspire to work in the entertainment industry:

‘I would say, ‘Great!’ When you become a parent, you genuinely want your kids to find the things that bring them complete joy. They’re our kids, obviously, and they’re part of a legacy and a tradition and a family that will have other expectations. But I want them to be able to carve out their own path. If it’s the entertainment industry, great. And also, good luck. There are so many people that will talk about what opened the door for my children. But it still takes talent and a lot of grit. We’re creating multi-dimensional, interesting, kind, creative people. That’s who our kids are.’

On what it feels like to know, as an actor, that another actor will probably play you:

‘I haven’t given that much thought, to be honest. It’s all weird. You have to compartmentalize. Anyone talking about me or casting an actor to play me, that will be a caricature of me that has been created for a business that makes people a lot of money. Once you can separate that out, it’s much easier to go: ‘OK. That actually has nothing to do with me.’ It genuinely doesn’t. It’s a hard lesson to come to grips with.’

On the advice she would give to any actor playing Meghan Markle:

‘I hope that in preparing for that role, she finds the softness and the playfulness and the laughter. The silliness. I just hope she finds the dimensions. Also, she can call me!’

On how important it is to her to be understood by other people:

‘That’s a great question. No one has ever asked me that. I can only speak for myself, but I think feeling understood and seen are really important. That has been a common denominator that has come up in ‘Archetypes’ and the work I do with communities of women. People just want to be seen. That is also where representation comes into play.’

On what it has been like to open up about her life and her interview with New York Magazine, which some people found to be critical of the royals:

‘The [New York] story was intended to support ‘Archetypes’ and focus on our projects. I’ve had some time to reflect on it. Part of me is just really trusting, really open — that’s how I move in the world. I have to remember that I don’t ever want to become so jaded that that piece of me goes away. So despite any of those things? Onward. I can survive it.’

On her podcast, ‘Archetypes’:

‘Part of what I’m doing with ‘Archetypes’ is looking at the nuances around the women who come on the show. I’m not a journalist, but I want a candid, real conversation with them. I’m talking to some really textured, colorful, layered, dynamic women with strong histories. And that comes with a lot of pieces you can choose to include or not; I choose to include something that I feel is fair to them and also uplifting. And something we can all learn from.’

On who has been the most challenging interview so far in her podcast, ‘Archetypes’:

‘I spoke to Paris Hilton last week. I told her at the beginning that I was the most nervous about her interview. I was embarrassed to admit it, but I’ve had a judgment about her that’s based on everything I’ve seen, and I don’t like to come from a place of judgment. But I also didn’t grow up pretty.’

On the ideal project for Archewell, the company she shares with her husband:

‘So much of how my husband and I see things is through our love story. I think that’s what people around the world connected to, especially with our wedding. People love love. I’m not excluded in that sentiment. And our definition of love is really expansive: Partner love, self-love, the love of community and family. We use that as the baseline of the kind of shows and documentaries we want out there.

‘For my husband, the Invictus Games have been such a huge piece of his life and his work, having been in the army for 10 years and working for the rehabilitation of wounded vets and their families. We talk about emotional injuries that come from those types of experiences. Those are love stories. For scripted, we want to think about how we can evolve from that same space and do something fun! It doesn’t always have to be so serious. Like a good rom-com. Don’t we miss them? I miss them so much. I’ve probably watched ‘When Harry Met Sally’ a million times. And all the Julia Roberts rom-coms. We need to see those again.’

On what an average workday looks like for her and her husband:

‘We share an office. We work from home, as most people started to do during lockdown. It allows us to have significant time with our kids at this really special moment in their lives. We’ll never get this time back. I make breakfast, and we get the kids set for the day. We do a lot of joint calls and Zooms, but also try to divide what we can focus our energies on so we can accomplish even more. My husband is on a 24-hour time zone, where half of your life is waking up as the other half is going to sleep. It’s kind of the reverse of what I went through living in the U.K. He’s very good at responding on text. Me, I try to be as fast as possible on email. I’ve always said, if it takes less than five minutes, do it now.’

On snack breaks

‘It’s funny. People sometimes think we live in Los Angeles, but we’re a good two hours outside of it. We’re commuters. We drove down recently for a day of back-to-back meetings, equipped with chocolate chip cookies the size of my toddler’s head. Also, my husband’s favorite is In-N-Out. There’s one at the halfway point between L.A. and our neck of the woods. It’s really fun to go through the drive-thru and surprise them. They know our order.’

On her recent visit back to her high school:

‘I talked to a few of the girls who had just graduated for ‘Archetypes’ — they were so incredible. I was so proud of them. And then I surprised some girls at volleyball practice. I saw my picture in the yearbook that a friend sent me the other day. For your senior-year portrait, you had to choose a quote to accompany the picture. At 17, I chose Eleanor Roosevelt saying, ‘Women are like tea bags, they don’t realize how strong they are until they’re in hot water.’ I don’t think I’m a soothsayer, but there is something a little prophetic about that.’

On what she wants most out of life:

‘Joy. That’s really it. It’s everything that we can work toward for ourselves, our friends, our kids, those around us — that would feel so good. And we do feel joyful.’

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