Before she was Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex and wife of Prince Harry,
she was simply Meghan Markle, the well-known actress, beloved for her portrayal of Rachel Zane
in Suits. During that time, she developed a friendship with her on-screen flame,
Patrick J. Adams. Here's the truth about their real-life relationship.
It turns out, Markle and Adams actually met years before Suits began in 2011. In 2013, Markle
explained to Marie Claire that the pair had worked together on a TV pilot for ABC in 2007. She went
on to confess that their roles in this pilot were pretty similar to their roles in Suits, saying,
"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 pretty clear that the two actors have had amazing chemistry since the very beginning.
In an interview with Larry King, Markle explained that their next meeting was
during the Suits auditions. Apparently, the two actors fell into a firm friendship
pretty quickly once they started working together again. Adams explained that their
first job together was a little awkward since they didn't know each other.
"When we worked together the first time, there was that like uncomfortable getting
to know each other stuff, and then this time going into it we realized like
we have to get to know each other and become friends very quickly."
Throughout their long working relationship on Suits, Adams and Markle developed a seriously
strong bond as colleagues and friends. In 2018, Adams spoke to The Hollywood Reporter
about the bond that formed from their early days on the show. He explained,
"In some ways, Meghan and I were the closest because we were the
youngest people in the cast and both came in with the least experience."
He described how their joint experience of learning on the go meant that they,
quote, "grew up together over the course of the show." By the sound of things,
their early bond helped them both navigate the world of professional television.
Markle and Adams continued to get closer while working together,
eventually becoming the very best of friends.
To mark the Suits series finale in 2019,
Adams posted a series of adorable throwback photos of him and his castmates on set.
In several photos, Markle was seen lounging on various set pieces and clearly having a great
time working with her friend and co-star. In another series of photos, she was shown
having drinks with Adams and her other castmates and wandering through the streets of Toronto.
If Adams' candid shots weren't enough proof of their super close relationship,
the bloopers from Suits really do show just how well the pair got on — in fact, Markle
and Adams seemed to struggle to get through most of their scenes without making each other laugh.
"When I get punchy late night on set I always start to go into this like 'aw, yeah, see,
come on fellas, let's keep it movin.' They like that."
According to the book Meghan: A Hollywood Princess, Markle
and Adams' famous chemistry was what initially led to the show's success.
After the first episode aired, author Andrew Morton claimed,
"Cast, crew, and the money men at the network were ecstatic,
the producers thrilled that their gamble to cast Meghan opposite Patrick had paid off big time,
the show's fans buzzing about the couple's on-screen chemistry."
Apparently, this chemistry had been a feature of Suits since the very first
table read. As Morton wrote,
"When [Meghan] began the standard table read of the script, it was obvious that Meghan and Patrick
generated chemistry — this elusive quality, the showbiz equivalent of lightning in a bottle."
It sounds like sparks were flying between these two actors since the very beginning — and judging
by the tension between Rachel and Mike on the show, that's not too surprising!
Apparently, the same sparks were flying in real life, too. Author Andrew Morton went on to reveal
that this chemistry was especially noticed at Markle's first wedding in 2011. Morton wrote,
"Their off-screen chemistry was equally noticeable,
almost uncomfortably so, according to guests at Meghan and Trevor's wedding."
In an interview on Larry King Now, King also picked up on their intense bond.
He even asked them why they weren't a couple in real life,
adding with a cheeky smile that he was "sensing something."
Even though Markle and Adams had a strong bond both on and off the screen,
the two colleagues never thought about dating in real life — and
Larry King wasn't hesitant to push the pair about those juicy details.
"So the two of you are not involved off the show?”
“… No…” “No no no no."
Adams added that it, quote, "would never work," and the actors explained that their romantic
chemistry on screen came from a friendly familiarity from years of working together.
Plus, throughout their time on Suits, both were in relationships with other people.
Adams started dating his future wife, Troian Bellisario, in 2009.
Bellisario actually broke up with Adams briefly, but he won her back in 2010,
according to PopSugar — so he was already head over heels with Bellisario when Suits began.
Markle, on the other hand, was in a relationship with film producer and talent manager,
Trevor Engelson. The couple began dating in 2004 and married in 2011, according to The Sun.
Adams and Bellisario announced their engagement in 2014. In 2016, they tied the knot in a beautiful
woodland wedding. Unfortunately, Adams' longtime friend and co-worker didn't attend.
According to Us Weekly, Markle was invited to the
wedding but decided to stay home in Toronto. A source explained,
"[Markle and Adams] both kind of agreed that maybe her coming would
attract too much [of the wrong kind of] attention. They both thought it sucked."
Whether this source is reliable or not, it's easy to see why Markle may have thought her
presence would be overshadowing at the time. In December of 2016, at the time of Adams' wedding,
Markle was pretty big news. The tabloids have been obsessed with
picking her apart since her relationship with Prince Harry was announced in 2016.
Markle's real-life fairytale came true after a blind date with Harry in July
of 2016. Even though she began dating the ultra-famous Prince,
she continued to work on Suits until the end of season seven in 2017. And,
like a true professional, she didn't let her personal life interfere with her work.
As Adams explained to Hello!, everything felt pretty normal throughout season seven. He said,
"Honestly, it hasn't really changed. Nothing has changed that much."
He went on to say that Markle was actually, quote, "killing it" at her job. He added,
"She comes to work and is super excited to be at work."
Even though Markle kept focused and professional at work,
she was pretty busy with her blossoming royal relationship. She even hopped across
the pond in-between filming to attend Pippa Middleton's wedding reception in May of 2017.
In one of the most scandalous moments between Markle and Adams,
Adams got into some trouble after posting one particular image of Markle on his Instagram.
In 2017, Adams posted a nostalgic on-set photo of Markle kissing
him on the cheek in honor of the show's 100th episode. He explained to Esquire,
"I went to bed, and woke up in the morning and realized, 'Oh yeah. I live in a world where you
can't post things about Meghan.' [...] I had this onslaught of people retweeting the thing,
people thinking it was a recent picture, and I just thought, 'What the hell is going on?'"
Apparently, the viral post became the last straw in Adams' relationship with
social media, and he deactivated all of his accounts at the time. He explained,
"It made me feel like [...] why put myself through this?
We're like brother and sister, it's not like it was lurid or anything."
When Markle and Prince Harry announced their engagement in 2017, Markle's co-star was quick
to express his congratulations. In fact, his in-character response was pretty hilarious.
Referencing their on-screen relationship, he re-tweeted the engagement news, writing,
"She said she was just going out to get some milk…"
He followed up this Suits joke with a more heartfelt response, saying,
"Playing Meghan's television partner for the better part of a decade
uniquely qualifies me to say this: Your Royal Highness, you are a lucky man and
I know your long life together will be joyful, productive and hilarious."
He added a shoutout to his longtime pal, writing,
"Meghan, so happy for you, friend. Much love."
Despite his sincere follow-up, Adams kept the jokes coming. In 2018,
when she got married, he posted on Instagram with the caption,
"I'm beginning to think she might not actually be out getting milk."
At the end of season seven of Suits, Markle left the show to move across the pond and began a new
life as a member of the royal family. For Adams, Markle's departure forced him to consider his
position on the show, too. As he explained to The Hollywood Reporter, his decision to leave the show
coincided perfectly with Markle's. This meant that their characters could have a happy ending instead
of being separated for the sake of one actor. In fact, the on-screen couple was married in the
season seven finale, just a few weeks before Markle's real-life wedding to Prince Harry.
As far as their off-screen relationship went, the final
episodes of season seven were bittersweet for Markle and Adams. The actor confessed,
"With Meghan, a lot went unsaid. We just enjoyed the hell out of
the last few episodes that we got to shoot."
He explained that their close bond meant that they didn't need to talk about their futures.
Even though Markle couldn't attend Adams' wedding,
they were guests at the royal wedding in 2018, with Adams posting a selfie with his wife.
While attending a royal wedding in Britain must have been exciting for Adams and his
Hollywood friends, it must have also been pretty intimidating. In fact,
Bellisario confessed to The Daily Telegraph's Stellar Magazine that she had,
quote, "extreme anxiety" about having to wear a fascinator.
By the sounds of things, Adams didn't get a chance to see much of Markle in person.
Adams tweeted, in part,
"Meghan — wherever you are — we are so grateful to
be here to watch you both take this monumental step together."
It's clear that Markle's wedding marked a real moment of departure
from everything she'd known from her life in Hollywood.
After Markle left Suits and began her duties as a member of the royal family, her old co-star didn't
get to see very much of her. However, it seems he still followed her career and life. Speaking to
Access Hollywood in 2020, Adams spoke about how impressed he was with Markle's move to America.
Standing up for her controversial decision to get involved in U.S. politics, he added,
"I am happy to have her stateside. I'm very,
very happy that she's becoming very vocal and doing whatever she can to help the election
in November. [...] I miss my friend, but I'm very happy she's doing well."
It sounds like Markle is too busy to socialize with her old co-stars,
but Adams remains interested and supportive.
Since becoming Prince Harry's wife, Markle has been seriously busy,
first with her official royal duties, then with her dramatic move back to America. Plus,
she and Harry are raising their son Archie, who was born in 2019. Unsurprisingly,
Adams hasn't really had a chance to see his old colleague. He admitted to Radio
Times that he felt, quote, "a little scared" to reach out to the busy Duchess, and added,
"I have no doubt I could pick up the phone and call her at any moment,
but I don't know what I would say."
The pair have, however, exchanged a few texts, mainly on the subject of parenting.
Adams was quick to add that the only reason he's holding back is Markle's busy,
intimidating schedule. He explained,
"We don't spend any time together, but that's not because of anything
other than how completely enormous her life has become in so many ways."
Perhaps Markle and Adams will rekindle their friendship
soon — and maybe even get their kids together for a playdate!
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