Julia Roberts Has An Unexpected Connection To Meghan Markle

Hollywood royalty and real-life royalty collided after it was revealed that Julia Roberts inspired Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex. Thankfully, though, it wasn't Roberts' "Pretty Woman" role that Meghan strove to emulate.

When Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, first met Meghan, she was a successful actor. Meghan's on-screen ascent had begun in the early aughts. Over the decade, she went from making her debut on the famous soap opera "General Hospital" to landing a leading role in the drama "Suits," according to Insider. However, her TV career came to an abrupt end after Harry and Meghan became engaged. However, the dark shadow of Wallis Simpson and King Edward VIII still loomed large. It was challenging enough for the royals to accept Queen Elizabeth II's grandson was marrying an American divorcée. The prospect of a divorced American actor joining The Firm and being hounded by the paparazzi was just not cricket.

Ironically, in the couple's first interview together, Meghan told the BBC that before becoming Harry's fiancée, her life as a performer had been way more low-key and free of tabloid scrutiny. "I lived a relatively quiet life," she shared. "Even though I focused so much on my job." Acting had been a dream of Meghan's ever since she first set eyes on a television. "That looks like so much fun; I wanna do that," she told Glamor about her desire to perform. And that's where Julia Roberts' unexpected connection to Meghan Markle comes in.

In her Glamor profile, Meghan Markle listed "the 10 women who changed my life." At No. 7, in between the chef and food activist Alice Waters and the writer Toni Morrison, was actor Julia Roberts. Meghan admitted Roberts inspired her to act and shared that she'd once been told, "You kind of look like Julia Roberts in profile," which was "the biggest compliment of all time."

The revelation left Roberts feeling pretty dizzy, too. "It's a great night for me!" she told People when they asked her how she felt about being Meghan's muse. Roberts admitted it was the first time she'd heard about it, adding, "I am just going to be floating on that all night!" Even though Roberts has never been a royal in real life, she has played one on-screen. In the 2012 adventure comedy, "Mirror, Mirror," she stars as "an evil queen" who "steals control of a kingdom" by banishing the princess who's heir to the throne (via IMDb).

Roberts was the only actor who made it onto Meghan's top 10 list. However, she was in good company. In addition to Waters and Morrison, Meghan paid props to former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, singer Joni Mitchell, gorilla conservationist Dian Fossey, World War II poster girl Rosie the Riveter, Indian activist and entrepreneur Suhani Jalota, and her mom, Doria Ragland.

Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, says she's confident her acting days are behind her for good. Well, probably. "No. I'm done. I guess never say never, but my intention is to absolutely not," she told Variety when they asked if she would return to her acting career now that she and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, have left The Firm and moved stateside. However, that doesn't mean she's done with the biz and being on camera.

The New York Times reported that upon their arrival in California, Meghan and Harry were rumored to have sparked "a bidding war" between Netflix, Disney, NBC Universal, and AppleTV+ for the rights to the documentaries, films and TV shows they're making. Eventually, Netflix won out and the couple signed a "multi-year agreement to produce content exclusively" for the streaming giant. Harry and Meghan announced that their content will "[inform] but also give hope," and that Netflix's huge subscriber base will allow them to "share impactful content that unlocks action."

Meanwhile, the couple has already created some pretty impactful content. They conducted a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, which rocked the royal family to its core and reportedly created a divide between Harry and his brother, William, Prince of Wales (via Vanity Fair). Then, they released a tell-all documentary about life inside the monarchy, which did little to heal the rift between Harry and William.