Before she stole Prince Harry's heart, Meghan Markle played the part of ambitious paralegal
Rachel Zane in USA's Suits.
In 2017, she walked away from her breakout role to walk down the aisle and become British
royalty.
But what was she like before all the fame and fortune?
From her feminist ideals at age 11 to that stint on a game show that she'd rather not
talk about, here is Markle's "once upon a time"…
Catholic schoolgirl
Markle fell in love with acting at the Immaculate Heart all-girls Catholic high school in Los
Angeles.
She starred in several school productions before graduating in 1999.
A former schoolmate told People:
"Meghan was really charismatic and was a very hard worker and very focused and you could
tell she was going to do something special with her life…"
"She had the talent and focus to back it up and you could tell she knew the work it would
take and she was willing to put in the work."
TV family
It seems Markle was destined to be on TV.
After all, she's been around it her entire life.
Markle's father was a lighting director and director of photography for FOX's cult classic,
Married… with Children.
Markle told Esquire it was an interesting environment for a preteen kid …
"There were a lot of times my dad would say, 'Meg, why don't you go and help with the craft
services room over there?
This is just a little off-color for your 11-year-old eyes.'"
Feminist roots
In 1995, Markle saw a commercial for Ivory Clear Dishwashing Liquid with the following
tagline:
"Women are fighting greasy pots and pans."
That day, a feminist was born.
Young Meghan thought the ad was sexist, and even got to appear on a Nickelodeon show and
express her views.
"I don't think it's right for kids to grow up thinking these things, that just mom does
everything."
Her father encouraged her to write letters, and that she did, mailing notes to first lady
Hillary Clinton and to powerhouse attorney Gloria Allred.
Her efforts appeared to pay off: roughly a month later, manufacturer Procter and Gamble,
changed "women" to "people":
"People are fighting greasy pots and pans with Ivory Clear."
First gigs
Although her first onscreen appearance was as a background nurse on a 2002 episode of
the daytime soap General Hospital, Markle's first speaking role was in CBS' short-lived
science-fiction legal drama Century City in 2004.
Acting alongside Lost's Nestor Campbell and Oscar-winner Viola Davis, Markle made the
most of her line.
"Here's to Tom Montero, who had the vision to install this amazing virtual assistant!"
Career lows
From 2005 to 2009, there was no escaping NBC's hit game show Deal or No Deal, and if you
happened to catch an episode in 2008, you might have glimpsed Markle smiling through
her pain as a "briefcase girl."
She told Esquire,
"I would end up standing up there forever in these terribly uncomfortable and inexpensive
five-inch heels just waiting for someone to pick my number so I could go and sit down."
While a struggling actor trying to pay the bills, Markle did a little bit of everything,
including freelance calligraphy for Robin Thicke and Paula Patton's wedding and Dolce
& Gabbana's celebrity holiday correspondence.
Casting chameleon
In a 2015 essay for Elle UK, Markle wrote about "creating her identity and finding her
voice as a mixed race woman."
Markle's father is white and her mother is African-American, and the actress thought
being ethnically nondescript would help her land roles.
Unfortunately, she said that wasn't the case.
"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."
Markle felt like her role on USA's critically-acclaimed Suits was created specifically for her.
"The show's producers weren't looking for someone mixed, nor someone white or black
for that matter.
They were simply looking for Rachel."
Royal write-off
Suits creator Aaron Korsh apparently knew true love when he saw it.
Realizing Markle and Prince Harry's relationship was blossoming, the decision was made to write
her character off the show, just in case royal duties called.
Korsh told Radio 4's Today:
"...I had a decision to make because I didn't want to intrude and ask her, 'Hey what's going
on and what are you going to do?'
So collectively with the writers, we decided to take a gamble that these two people were
in love and it was going to work out."
When asked if Markle would be able to handle the spotlight of royal life, Korsh left no
doubt:
"She is just a natural in front of the camera, and her intelligence and poise…
I mean if anyone could handle it I'd say it was Meghan."
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