The Duchess of Sussex’s Variety cover story was supposed to come out in mid-September as part of her promotion for the Archetypes podcast, and as part of Variety’s “Women in Hollywood” issue. Then Queen Elizabeth II passed away, and Variety agreed to postpone the cover in exchange for new comments after the Sussexes returned from the UK. While I love Variety’s photoshoot, they chose a terrible photo for the cover! They’ve been sitting on this editorial for two months and no one said “actually you made Meghan look like a cult leader?” Anyway, Meghan has a lot to say about a lot of different things, including how she loves Jeopardy, she does Wordle “in bed with a glass of wine” and she’s obsessed with Beyonce’s “Cozy.” You can read the full piece here. I’m breaking it up into two posts. Some highlights:
What she wants 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.”
Mourning the Queen: Following the official period of mourning, Meghan agrees to sit again for a lengthy discussion about her road to the present. She worries that any comments about the queen or her in-laws will be “a distraction” from continued mourning, but presses on to celebrate the icon.
How she feels after QEII’s passing: “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.”
Her reflection of the Queen: “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.
Processing the loss as a 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 her openness in interviews, even if they’re written about in a snarky way: “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. 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.
What she would say if her kids want to work in Hollywood: “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 multidimensional, interesting, kind, creative people. That’s who our kids are.
On the idea of actors playing her in the future: “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.
Advice to an actor playing her: “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!
[From Variety]
So, basically Variety threw out their first interview/profile of Meghan and did this Q&A after she returned to California after the funeral. I wonder if she had more to say about the Windsors in the first interview, but I guess we’ll never know. She’s being very positive about the experience of being stuck in Salt Island unexpectedly for that length of time – she knows that if she utters one word of complaint, everyone will climb all over her, so she’s smart. Plus, Meghan and Harry have always maintained that they were close to QEII regardless of how much the British media wanted to make it sound like they were recording diss tracks about Ol’ Liz. Part 2 of this coverage will be Meghan talking about WORK!
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Cover & IG courtesy of Variety.
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