Meghan Markle Returns to Acting: How She Handled Being Back on Set & More

Martin Holmes November 6, 2025, 7:41 am

What To Know

Meghan Markle is returning to acting after more than seven years with a small role in the upcoming Amazon MGM comedy film Close Personal Friends.
The movie follows a regular couple who befriend a celebrity couple in Santa Barbara, with Markle’s specific role remaining undisclosed as filming takes place in Los Angeles.
This marks Markle’s first acting project since leaving Suits and stepping back from royal duties, with sources describing it as a significant and carefully chosen return to her previous career.

Meghan Markle is taking on her first acting role in over seven years, as the Duchess of Sussex is set for a small role in the upcoming Amazon MGM comedy movie Close Personal Friends.

As first reported by The Sun, Markle will star alongside Brie Larson, Lily Collins, Jack Quaid, and Henry Golding in the film, which centers on a “regular” couple who meet a celebrity couple while on a trip to Santa Barbara. The two couples end up becoming friends, and lines are crossed, making things awkward.

Markle, who starred in Suits for seven seasons before leaving acting following her engagement to Prince Harry, moved to Santa Barbara in 2020 after she and Harry stepped back from their royal duties in the U.K. Markle and Harry live in the area with their two children, Prince Archie (6) and Princess Lilibet (4).

“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,” a studio source reportedly told The Sun. “It is Meghan’s way of gently putting her toe back in the water and seeing how she enjoys being back on set.”

There are no details on the role Markle is playing in the film, which is currently shooting around Los Angeles. According to the studio source, “Everyone involved is super-excited and have been sworn to secrecy about her involvement.”

A source told People, “Meghan was on the set today. She has a small part. She seemed very relaxed and happy. She introduced herself to everyone and was very sweet and down-to-earth.”

Close Personal Friends, written by Isaac Aptaker and directed by Jason Orley, also stars Saturday Night Live alum Melissa Villaseñor, Natasia Demetriou, Anna Konkle, Patti Harrison, Jack Shalloo, and Dustin Demri-Burns.

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While best known for playing Rachel Zane on the legal drama Suits, Markle also appeared in TV shows such as Fringe, Knight Rider, Without a Trace, and Castle, as well as the films Horrible Bosses, Dysfunctional Friends, Random Encounters, and Anti-Social.

Speaking to the BBC in 2017 after announcing her engagement to Prince Harry and her decision to leave acting, Markle said, “I don’t see it as giving anything up, I just see it as a change.”

“It’s a new chapter,” she continued. “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].”