9 things we learned about Meghan Markle from her ELLE interview
In a recent interview with ELLE, Meghan Markle talks about her childhood, career and identity. Importantly, what being biracial has meant and means to her now both in finding her feet in life and work.
Now that Markle has recently joined Prince Harry under the spotlight (as if she wasn’t under it already), the world is even keener to find out as much as possible about the Suits star.
Here are a few things we learned from the interview.
It’s been harder to land roles due to her ethnicity
“I wasn’t black enough for the black roles and I wasn’t white enough for the white ones, leaving me somewhere in the middle as the ethnic chameleon who couldn’t book a job.”
2. She describes Suits as the “Goldilocks of my acting career”
It was “where finally I was just right.”
3. When she was little, her dad made her a customised Barbie family
The family sets she wanted only came in a white version or black version, so he bought both and made his own for her: “A black mom doll, a white dad doll, and a child in each colour. My dad had taken the sets apart and customised my family. ”
4. She’s fan of pen and paper
And describes herself as a “firm believer in handwritten notes”.
5. Her parents met on the set of a soap opera
Her dad was a lighting director and her mum a temp at the studio.
6. She believes acting is the most “label driven” industry
“There couldn’t possibly be a more label-driven industry than acting, seeing as every audition comes with a character breakdown: ‘Beautiful, sassy, Latina, 20s’; ‘African American, urban, pretty, early 30s’; ‘Caucasian, blonde, modern girl next door’.”
7. Her neighbours used to believe her mum was her nanny because of her race
“They moved into a house in The Valley in LA, to a neighbourhood that was leafy and affordable. What it was not, however, was diverse.”
8. She’s now learned to embrace the “grey area” of her identity
“While my mixed heritage may have created a grey area surrounding my self-identification, keeping me with a foot on both sides of the fence, I have come to embrace that.”
9. She believes you create your own identity
“…just as my ancestors did when they were given their freedom.”
Read the full interview here.
What do you think about Markle’s take on identity? Tweet us at @YahooStyleUK.
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