Meghan Markle missed a major opportunity to boost her Hollywood image by appearing alongside her Suits co-stars to present at the Golden Glo...
Meghan Markle missed a major opportunity to boost her Hollywood image by appearing alongside her Suits co-stars to present at the Golden Globes on Sunday, her absence from which was widely noted, an entertainment expert has told Newsweek.
Meghan did not take part in the reunion of Suits stars which included Gina Torres, Gabriel Macht, Patrick Adams and Sarah Rafferty as they presented the award for Best Television Series Drama at the star-studded ceremony on January 7, following the public's record-breaking resurgence of interest in the legal drama over the latter half of 2023.
Meghan starred on the show for seven seasons before leaving when her relationship with Prince Harry became serious in 2017.
When asked on the red carpet whether the show's stars keep in touch via text, Torres revealed that the group "don't have" Meghan's number, leading some to question whether the duchess remains close to the castmates who attended her royal wedding in 2018.
Meghan's reinvention as a Hollywood insider and producer following her split from the monarchy with Prince Harry in 2020 has not been smooth, and the couple have faced a number of public knocks over the past three years, something entertainment expert Mark Boardman told Newsweek that the duchess could mitigate by engaging with her peers.
"Meghan's absence from the Golden Globes for the Suits reunion would undoubtedly have negatively impacted her industry image, further signaling her disassociation from the cast," he said, adding that: "Suits is the biggest role we associate her with aside from being a former royal by marriage."
Boardman noted that in Hollywood it's "essential" that Meghan "remains actively engaged in the entertainment community," attending crucial industry events like the Golden Globes.
"In an industry where connections and relationships are critical to success, reaffirming her ties to successful projects can be so beneficial for her career and an invite to the Globes is not something to skip," he said.
It has not been confirmed whether Meghan received an invitation to the Golden Globes ceremony.
Torres' red carpet revelation that Meghan and her co-stars are not in regular contact proves to be another problem for the duchess, Boardman suggested, given her unsteady popularity among the public.
"This confirms the slim chance of Meghan participating in any revival or spin-off show," he said of Torres' comment. "Image-wise, this is a significant faux pas because the creators behind the show are less likely to approach her for future projects if she is unable to be part of something that kick-started her career to a global audience."
"Attending events like the Golden Globes on a regular basis would have given Meghan a way to balance between her royal background and her now ever murky entertainment career, giving a platform for interview sound bites, besides fantastic photo opportunities," he concluded, adding that attending upcoming Hollywood events is "essential" for her progression as a producer and industry professional.
"It's an opportunity for her to maintain a multi-faceted identity beyond her royal associations," he said.
So far, Meghan and Prince Harry have one future movie project announced, an adaptation of the hit novel Meet Me at the Lake which is in development and will be produced by the couple's Archewell Productions company and Netflix.
