Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Fashion Month
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career & Money
    • Health & Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food & Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex & Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes & Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes & Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Trending Pants
    • DIY Facials
    • The Two-Tone Shoe Revival
    • Burberry
    • 'Traitors: New Blood'
    1. Celebrity
    2. Royals

    Meghan Markle Says She Lied to a Casting Director to Break Into Acting in an Unearthed Clip

    In an old clip from her Hollywood days, Meghan Markle says she lied to a casting director about her union status to break into acting.

    By Kayleigh Roberts
    Published 2 February 2021 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    The Duke And Duchess Of Sussex Visit Canada House
    (Image credit: Samir Hussein)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter
    • Before she was a member of the royal family, Meghan Markle says she was a "fraud."
    • In an unearthed clip on the Daily Mail from her acting days, Meghan shares a story about telling a little white lie about her union status to break into acting.
    • "To this day those casting directors will never hire me," she said of the incident. "I was such a fraud."

    Even Meghan Markle feels like a fraud sometimes.

    In an unearthed video from her Suits days, Meghan called herself a "fraud" while discussing getting her big break in show business—and the little white lie she told to make it happen.

    "I was Taft-Harteleyed, which is I pretended I was union.... and you have to... it was the pilot called Century City with Héctor Elizondo," she explained during a panel discussion to promote her former USA series, Suits. "And I got there, and they're like—'so you're union.' And I'm like, 'Of course I'm union. I mean, yeah, absolutely.' And then I wasn't."

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    The story is hilarious (and the lie pretty harmless) in retrospect, but at the time, Meghan said she was still facing some repercussions for the fib.

    "To this day those casting directors will never hire me," she added. "I was such a fraud." 

    You may like
    • Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wearing sunglasses walking outside There's a "Significant" Reason Why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Are Moving to the U.K.
    • Meghan Markle wears her dark hair in a ponytail and wears a brown shirt and a gold necklace Meghan Markle Channels Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy
    • Meghan Markle holding Prince Harry's arm wearing LA Dodgers hats Meghan Markle “Is Taking One for the Team” For Prince Harry By Moving to Britain

    Watch the clip, which the Daily Mail unearthed recently, below: 

    Meghan calls it "fraud," other might call it an excellent display of improvisational acting. Either way, we're pretty sure those casting directors would be thrilled to hire Meghan now.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for the Marie Claire newsletter.

    subscribe here

    RELATED STORIES

    Hair, Facial expression, Beauty, Hairstyle, Long hair, Smile, Electric blue, Brown hair, Photography, Black hair,

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Meghan and Jen Might Hang Out in Canada Soon

    The Duke And Duchess Of Sussex Attend WellChild Awards

    (Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo)

    Meghan Won't Appear on Her BFF's Reality Show

    Explore More
    Meghan Markle
    Kayleigh Roberts
    Social Links Navigation
    Contributing Editor at Marie Claire

    Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with over 10 years of professional experience covering entertainment of all genres, from new movie and TV releases to nostalgia, and celebrity news. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

    Read more
    Meghan Markle wearing a blue striped shirt
    Royals Meghan Markle Transforms Her Wardrobe from California to Cotswolds
    By Kristin Contino
    Sarah Ferguson wearing a green dress standing in front of a maroon wall
    Royals Sarah Ferguson Is “Looking at Her Options” For a Tell-All Interview
    By Kristin Contino
     
     
    Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, has red hair and a short beard and wears a suit and tie and attends the Kyiv Security Forum, in Kyiv on April 23, 2026
    Royals Prince Harry "Used to Try and Escape" and "Disappear"
    By Amy Mackelden
    Prince Harry and Meghan Markle holding hands walking
    Royals 7 Reasons Why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are Moving to the U.K.
    By Kristin Contino
     
     
    Latest in Royals
    Queen Elizabeth shaking hands with two chefs
    Royals Former Chef Reveals One Innocent Trick Staff Would Play on Queen Elizabeth
    King Haakon and family carrying Princess Astrid's coffin at her funeral
    Royals One British Royal Left a Touching Tribute at Princess Astrid's Funeral
     
     
    Princess Kate laughing in a purple gown with Tom Cruise standing behind her
    Royals Princess Kate's Amethyst Necklace Moment Takes a "Different Kind of Confidence"
    Princess Charlotte wearing a blue dress with ruffled sleeves
    Royals Princess Diana Had the Same Reaction as Princess Charlotte as a Child
     
     
    Latest in News
    Queen Elizabeth shaking hands with two chefs
    Royals Former Chef Reveals One Innocent Trick Staff Would Play on Queen Elizabeth
    Jennifer Lawrence styled a brown suede coat with The Row Margaux Bag and white Dior sneakers
    Celebrity Style Jennifer Lawrence's It Shoe Collection Welcomes Her Slimmest Dior Sneakers Yet
     
     
    King Haakon and family carrying Princess Astrid's coffin at her funeral
    Royals One British Royal Left a Touching Tribute at Princess Astrid's Funeral
    Princess Kate laughing in a purple gown with Tom Cruise standing behind her
    Royals Princess Kate's Amethyst Necklace Moment Takes a "Different Kind of Confidence"
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.