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Before Meghan Markle met Prince Harry, got engaged, got married and became a princess herself, she was an actress on the wildly popular TV series Suits. However, before that, she was just an aspiring actress trying to make it in Hollywood, taking on minuscule roles that seem almost embarrassing when one looks back on them today.
Indeed, as is the case with most actors, Markle’s acting career started off humbly – her first role was a minor one which she bagged in 2002 when she was only 20 years old. Back then, Markle played the role of a receptionist nurse on General Hospital. The roles that followed were no less minuscule and oftentimes Markle’s character did not even have dialogue. Indeed, oftentimes her character did not even have a name, or if it did, it was not mentioned in the credits. Rather, she would be known to the audience as a “Party Girl” or “Hot Girl”.
All in all, Markle’s IMDb boasts 30 acting credits. And while we have already mentioned that nowadays she is best remembered for her role in Suits (when it comes to acting, at least) there is no denying that she landed her biggest role when she met Prince Harry and when she agreed to be his wife. Of course, that meant giving up her acting career but when one looks back on her filmography, it becomes apparent that it wasn’t such a big sacrifice to make.
Subway Cashier In Love Inc.
At the start of their careers, most actors have no choice but to take on minuscule roles in the hopes that somehow it might lead to their big break. Princess Meghan Markle is no exception. Before she met Prince Harry – and even before she landed the role of Rachel Zane on Suits – she took on a number of small roles on even smaller shows that nowadays no one can even remember.
Last year it came to light that in 2005, when Markle was 23 years old, she played the role of a subway cashier, who was named Teresa Santos in the American sitcom Love Inc. She appeared in the ninth episode of the show. This episode was titled One on One.
In the episode, a commuter named Reggie is obviously in love with Teresa which seems simple enough. But unfortunately, Reggie’s attempts to ask her out are hampered by Teresa’s work colleague who also has feelings for her, despite the fact that he is married. As such, Reggie feels like he has no other choice but to seek advice from a dating company called – you guessed it – Love Inc.
Love Inc. was canceled after only one season – and 22 episodes – as a result of United Paramount’s Network merge with the WB Television Network so as to launch the CW Television Network in 2006. That was probably for the better – views for the show were quite low and it was not like we could expect Markle to appear in any other episodes since she was always going to be a one-episode guest.
“Beautiful Girl” On Plane In A Lot Like Love
Is there anything worse than starring in a movie and not even having a name? We don’t think so and we believe that many actors would agree with us, including Meghan Markle, who, at the start of her career, played the role of a “hot girl” in the 2005 romantic comedy A Lot Like Love. And yes, that is exactly how she was credited at the end of the film.
In the film, Markle played a plane passenger who ends up sitting beside an internet entrepreneur named Oliver Martin, who was played by the Hollywood A-lister Ashton Kutcher. Markle's character introduces herself as Natalie and tries to flirt with Oliver. However, the latter is not at all interested for he is troubled by his on-again and off-again relationship with Emily Friehl who was played by Amanda Peet. Markle’s character then gets chatted up by Oliver’s business partner named Jetter who is portrayed by the actor Kal Penn.
Markle’s scene lasted less than a minute and her character was obviously not important enough to credit by name – why else would she be credited as “hot girl” and not “Natalie”, which is the name she introduced her character by? Still, all actors have to start somewhere.
Maid In CSI: NY
Meghan Markle’s seventh acting job was no better than her first six. In fact, it may have been worse. Back in 2006, Markle played the role of a seductive maid as well as a murder suspect named Veronica Perez in the TV show CSI: NY.
In the show, or rather, in one episode of the show, Markle makes an appearance wearing lingerie – she wears a pink satin corset with black lace, black knickers, and black suspenders. According to the plot of the show, she spends some time in the home of a playboy who later gets written off. As is often the case in these TV shows, Markle’s character then becomes a suspect in the murder investigation.
While initially, we see Veronica cleaning the floor with rubber gloves (and wearing her outfit of course) she ends up putting on a black silk robe when it comes time for her to have a chat with members of the CSI team who are investigating the murder.
While that is certainly not a role that one has to be proud of, at the start of her career Markle was down to taking almost any role offered to her, although initially, she didn’t even want to be an actress. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Markle said – “I never thought I would become an actress. I always wanted to get into politics and I moved to Argentina and worked for the US embassy for a bit. It sort of happened upon me when I was home for the holiday - acting, that is - and I stuck with it.”
Fed Ex Girl In Horrible Bosses
The same year – 2011 - that Meghan Markle appeared on Suits for the very first time, she also made an appearance in a Hollywood film titled Horrible Bosses. In the black comedy film, which was directed by Seth Gordon, the actress played the role of a delivery girl named Jamie.
Markle’s character appeared on screen for less than a minute but she did have a conversation with the account manager at a chemical company named Kurt Buckman, played by Jason Sudeikis. In the scene, Kurt notices Jamie and asks her if she is okay. She replies that she is just getting the company’s employee to sign a delivery docket for her. Jamie, impressed by her good looks, takes the delivery docket from the employee, stressing that he should be the one signing it for it is high priority stuff.
Sudeikis’s character then asks Markle’s character if he is the victim of one of those hidden camera shows, to which Markle replies that she doesn’t know what he means. Kurt then says – “I mean you're way too cute to just be a FedEx girl. You've got to be a model or actress right? Like what happens when I open one of these boxes? Something going to jump out and bite me?" Jamie laughs and says that nothing is going to jump out, she is just a FedEx girl. Then she leaves and we never see her again.
Briefcase Model On Deal Or No Deal
Living off small movie roles is no easy feat so before Markle made it as Rachel Zane in Suits, she had to appear on game shows so as to make ends meet when she was auditioning. She did not appear as a contestant however but rather as a model. Indeed, it was in 2006 that Markle appeared on the American game show Deal or No Deal and she is not at all ashamed to talk about it.
Indeed, in an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, Markle compared her stint on Deal or No Deal to a well-paid waitressing job – “Deal or No Deal - I like to call it my very lucrative waitressing job. Most actors find a way to make a living while they're auditioning and, for me, holding a briefcase was an incredibly lucrative means of being able to pursue what I really wanted to do. I'm not a model by any stretch, so I was just fortunate enough to be able to pay my bills - and then some - by standing in uncomfortable shoes and smiling really big for an exceptionally long time.”
In addition, in an interview with Esquire, Markle said that her role on the game show made her realize what she would be rather doing – “Definitely working on Deal or No Deal was a learning experience, and it helped me to understand what I would rather be doing.”
In the same interview with Esquire Markle also recalled just how uncomfortable it was to stand around in five-inch heels - “I didn't ever have it. I don't think I did. I was the ill-fated number 26, which for some reason no one would ever choose. I would end up standing up there forever in these terribly uncomfortable and inexpensive five-inch heels just waiting for someone to pick my number so I could go and sit down.”
Insurance Saleswoman In The War At Home
In 2006 Meghan Markle appeared in the TV series named The War At Home where she played a minor role. Markle appeared just in one episode titled The Seventeen Year Itch and played the role of an insurance saleswoman named Susan.
In the episode, Markle’s character gets involved in an innocent office romance after her colleague Dave Gold, who was portrayed by the actor Michael Rappaport, falls for her and the two begin flirting. However, the couple doesn’t go much further than that although we do see Dave imagining Susan in his bed instead of his wife Vicky later on in the episode. Still, when Dave and Susan go for dinner Dave realizes that Susan thinks he’d be the perfect catch for... her mum!
When you think about it, this wasn’t such a bad role – at least it had dialogue and Markle’s character had more screen time than the usual two minutes she was so used to getting.
In addition, she must have felt right at home on the set of a TV show since that is where she spent most of her childhood. Indeed, Markle said, according to Esquire – “My dad was a lighting director and director of photography for Married... with Children. He just retired actually last year. Every day after school for 10 years, I was on the set of Married... with Children, which is a really funny and perverse place for a little girl in a Catholic school uniform to grow up. There were a lot of times my dad would say, "Meg, why don't you go and help with the craft services room over there? This is just a little off-color for your 11-year-old eyes."
A Bartender In Remember Me
A year before Markle landed the role of Rachel Zane on Suits she appeared in a romantic coming-of-age drama alongside Robert Pattinson. The 2010 film was called Remember Me and was nothing special, at least according to the ratings and the reviews that it got.
In Remember Me, Markle played the role of a bartender named Megan and while her role was small she later said that she enjoyed it nonetheless.
When asked what Markle thought of the Hollywood actor Pattinson in an interview with Her World, she had only the best words to describe him – “Oh, he’s such a sweetheart. I filmed some scenes in New York with him for a small part. He’s a really lovely guy and a really great example to be able to watch someone who is young, who’s stardom has really taken over his live in such a huge way, and yet he’s still gracious, humble and cool. I think that is really endearing.”
Perhaps the reason why Markle enjoyed filming Remember Me so much was not only because her co-stars were lovely but also because she was hoping that it would help her get future movie roles, which, at the time, was her goal – “I love doing film and I have done a couple of comedies in the past, which was a lot of fun. The small screen is fun and I’m still grateful for it, but I would also love to make my mark on the big screen as well.”
Sleeping Beauty In Castle
Even when Markle had bagged the role of Rachel Zane in Suits she still kept getting minor roles in other TV series. For example, in 2012 Markle appeared in the TV show Castle. If you’re a fan of the show then you probably recall that Castle focuses on an NYPD detective named Kate Beckett as well as the writer Richard Castle who helps her solve crime in New York City.
In the 2012 episode Once Upon a Crime Markle played the role of Charlotte Boyd who turns out to be the killer and who initially attempts to throw the police off by dressing up as Sleeping Beauty and sending herself to sleep.
That was certainly not a huge role and it took Markle quite a while to realize that booking acting gigs was not at all easy. Indeed, initially, she thought that it would be incredibly simple, hence why she decided to give up a career in politics. According to Marie Claire, Markle said – “I came back to L.A. for Christmas, and a friend of mine from college introduced me to this manager. He saw a student film that I had done and said, 'You know what, you're going to make money, and I'll take 10 percent, and I think you should stick around.' I was really spoiled because I booked my first audition right away, so it's the biggest tease because you think, 'Oh, this is easy.' All things considered, I'm so grateful and fortunate that I have a show now that's doing well, but it's not easy. It was definitely a struggle.”
Army Girl In Knight Rider Spin-Off
There’s no denying that Meghan Markle is one of the gentlest and nicest people out there, as can be proven by her friends and ex-colleagues. And yet she also has a tough side, if not in real life then on the screen. And she can fight!
Indeed, in 2009 Markle played the role of an army girl named Annie Ortiz in one episode of Knight Rider spin-off series which was called Fight Knight. In the episode, Annie is seen fighting in an underworld fight club thanks to her determination to find out what exactly happened to her Drill Sergeant who was taken out.
The spin-off show lasted only one season however (even if it did score quite good ratings) and as such failed to launch Markle into stardom. Markle was not surprised however because it did not take her long to realize how difficult it is to make it in the TV industry.
According to Marie Claire, Markle said – “Before Suits, I did a pilot every single year. I even did a pilot for ABC with Patrick J. Adams, who plays Mike Ross on the show, like six years ago. So long! TV has always seen us in the same way. He's the rough-around-the-edges guy, I'm the polished girl, and there's that, 'Will they ever be together?' tension. It's crazy to finally have a pilot that has more than the longevity of one season—this is like my cup runneth over."
Party Girl In Get Him To The Greek
Did you know that Meghan Markle and Russell Brand once kissed? Before you get too scandalized, let us add that the Princess and the actor actually kissed on screen when they both appeared in the 2009 black comedy film Get Him to the Greek.
In Get Him to the Greek, Markle played the role of a party girl and in one scene, was kissed by Russell Brand. However, since her role was uncredited some people have disagreed whether it was indeed Markle who played the role.
Brand seems to think so. Indeed, when the actor was asked whether the rumors that he kissed Markle on screen were true in an interview with E Online, he said – “As a matter of fact it is. But let me say, before you get carried away with it—there's a wedding on Saturday, focus! She was in a film I was in, Get Him to the Greek, it was a bloody good film, Meghan Markle, didn't know at the time because she wasn't married to a royal person. I don't remember the film that much, I was still out of it, but I think I planted one on her in the scene. It was scripted in the scene. I only know this because I think I saw a clip of it somewhere. Meghan Markle, there we go. They should bring that up at the wedding. 'If anyone has any reason to.... [making an impression of someone stopping the royal wedding] Yeah, Russell Brand snogged her in the film!''
An FBI Agent In Fringe
Meghan Markle may have played the role of a maid and murder suspect in CSI: NY who was interrogated by investigators but she also played the role of an FBI agent in Fringe. Granted, her role wasn’t exactly big and she only ever appeared in two episodes, but it was still a big step up from playing a maid.
Fringe was a sci-fi drama series that ran for five seasons from 2008 to 2013. Markle appeared on the show in the first two episodes of season two of the series where she played an FBI agent named Amy Jessup. In her first appearance, Amy could be seen questioning a man named Peter Bishop about a mysterious car accident.
Initially, it seemed like Markle’s character was there to stay but eventually, that turned out to not be true. According to Entertainment Weekly, Jeff Pinkner – the executive producer of the show – confessed that there was never a specific period of time assigned to Markle’s character – “There was never any length of time [assigned to her stay. There’s no end date. She’s an available tool in our toolbox and we’ll use her as we see fit. [But] we’re really trying to tell stories about our main characters… we want to get deeper with them, so we don’t have a lot of time to go into the FBI. I think our fans really want to get to know our [core] characters more and that’s what we’re endeavoring to do this year.”
Party Girl In Random Encounters
Another film role that Meghan Markle played is that of an LA party girl and the main character’s best friend in the 2013 romantic comedy Random Encounters which was directed by Boris Undorf and which starred Michael Rady, Sean Young, and Abby Wathen. In the film, Markle’s character is helping her best friend to get back into the dating game since she herself is quite an expert at online romance.
While the film did not receive great ratings it was one of Markle’s bigger roles and apparently, the director loved her and thought that she was incredibly talented and, furthermore, serious, according to Hello Magazine – “Meghan was suggested to the producers by our casting director. She was an up-and-comer at the time and no one had any idea who she was. When I first saw her reel, she was a lot more beautiful than what I felt was right for the character, but it was clear that she had a good sense of comedic timing and a great energy on-screen, which is what ultimately won me over. Aside from all the guys on crew fawning over her, Meghan impressed everyone by being very skilled when it came to the more technical aspects of acting – things like quickly picking up scene blocking, hitting her marks and finding her light with great ease.”
Successful Businesswoman Who Is Unlucky In Love In Dater’s Handbook
Chances are, if you have heard of Hallmark Channel movies – which are made-for-TV films that are quite simple in their plot and more often than not have a low budget – you know that Meghan Markle starred in two such movies. And she was the leading actress in both! That is pretty impressive seeing how she has spent most of her acting career playing rather minuscule roles.
Markle's first Hallmark movie was called When Sparks Fly and was released in 2014 and the second one – the one we’ll be focusing on here – was called Dater’s Handbook and was released in 2016.
In Dater’s Handbook, Markle plays the role of a woman named Cassandra Brand who, although she is a smart lady, keeps picking men that are totally wrong for her. Not knowing what else to do, Cassandra decides to refer to Dr. Susie’s The Dater’s Handbook which outlines the exact steps to be taken when it comes to successful dating. The handy little book eventually leads Cassandra to two very different men and she is now faced with making a tough choice.
Best of all, Markle's appearance in these two Hallmark movies (and Suits, of course) prove that she has avoided becoming a cliché, like she was once worried she would, according to Marie Claire – “I had always been the theater nerd at Northwestern University. I knew I wanted to do acting, but I hated the idea of being this cliché—a girl from L.A. who decides to be an actress.”
Model Kirsten In Anti-Social
In 2015 Meghan Markle landed another major film role, this time in a Hungarian-British crime film called Anti-Social in which she appeared alongside Gregg Sulkin and Josh Myers. The film – which was inspired by real crimes that occurred in London - went on to receive terrible reviews (only 14% on Rotten Tomatoes and 6.3 out of 10 on IMDb) but we still think that Markle did a great job.
The plot of the film focused on two brothers named Dee (a street artist) and Marcus (a robber) who want nothing more than to get away from society. Markle plays the role of Kirsten – Dee’s girlfriend and high-end model who gets caught up in her boyfriend’s illegal activities.
Unfortunately, no interviews discussing Markle’s role in the film were ever conducted so we will never know whether the new royal enjoyed her time spent on the set of Anti-Social and whether she enjoyed working alongside the actors Gregg Sulkin and Josh Myers. Still, we can assume that she did for she did once say, in an interview with Marie Claire, that her favorite part about acting is the fact that she gets to pretend to be someone else – “That's the fun part of our job—to be able to play dress up, and to really throw yourself into something you otherwise wouldn't. I'm excited for what's to come. I think it's going to be a good year."
Nurse Jill On General Hospital
Few of Meghan Markle’s fans know that all the way back in 2002 the new royal appeared on General Hospital. According to IMDb, it was actually Markle’s very first role! At the time, Markle played the role of a woman named Jill who worked as a nurse. Her role was, as is to be expected, rather small although her character did have a few lines of dialogue and she did appear in the background here and there.
Of course, Markle looked incredibly cute in her nurse outfits but one can’t help but marvel at how different this role was from her internship at the U.S Embassy in Buenos Aires which she took on at around the same time (Markle was 20 years old when she appeared on General Hospital and she was also 20 years old when she worked as an intern at a U.S Embassy).
According to an interview with Marie Claire, Markle said that back then she was certain that she would end up having a career in politics – “I had always loved politics, so I ended up changing my major completely, and double-majoring in theater and international relations. By my junior year I had finished most of my credits, and I applied for an internship at the U.S. Embassy, so I ended up working in the embassy in Buenos Aires for a few months. It was during their economic devaluation and our Secretary of the Treasury at the time, Paul O'Neill, was there. So I'm 20 years old, in Buenos Aires, in a motorcade, doing that whole thing. I thought for sure I would still have a career in politics.”
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