Meghan Markle admits facing repeated rejections in her acting career

Meghan Markle has opened up about the challenges she faced as a mixed-race actress during early stages of her career, revealing that landing acting roles was a constant struggle. 

The Duke of Sussex shared that while she frequently attended auditions, she was often turned down by casting directors-a pattern that, she admitted, slowly chipped away at her self-confidence. 

Meghan, who gained fame for her role as Rachel Zane in the US legal drama Suits in 2011, explained that she was frequently considered for 'girl next door' parts because of her mixed heritage, specifically being 'half white.'

However, she noted that such roles were usually intended for actresses with 'blonde hair,' and a particular look. When a character was written with an ethnic background in mind, she said there was always an 'edge' to the part. 

The Duchess shared these reflections during an in depth conversation with entrepreneur Emma Grede on her Aspire podcast. 

Meghan-whose mother, Doria Ragland, is Black, and father, Thomas Markle, is white said: 'When I was an auditioning actress and this was well before Suits, you have to think at that time there were certainly not a lot of mixed race parts.' Grede replied:' Really? 

Meghan then insisted: 'No'-and Grede again said: 'Really?' Meghan continued:' No, there were not a lot. If I was going in for an audition-you have to remember this was a very different time than it is now-it was Girl Next Door. 

'That was typically blonde-haired, blue-eyed and a certain look. But because I'm half white, I would also be submitted for those roles and then if it was a character that had any sort of ethnicity, there was always a bit of a edge to those characters.'

Before her heartbreaking on Suits, Meghan appeared in various TV shows and films, including CSI:Miami, the sci-fi series Fringe, and movies such as Get Him to the Greek, Remember Me, and Horrible Bosses.