Meghan Markle Could’ve Been A Bond Girl If It Weren’t For That Whole Royal Thing — REPORT

Markle, Meghan Markle. According to a Thursday report from The Sun, Meghan Markle could've been the next Bond girl. Apparently, the 36-year-old former Suits star was on the "shortlist" to appear alongside Daniel Craig in his upcoming 007 film, Bond 25, set for a 2019 release. While appearing as Rachel Zane in the USA drama, she reportedly captured the eyes of James Bond producers, who thought she could probably pull off the role perfectly. However, it reportedly didn't happen due to her romance with Prince Harry and producers assuming this would make her "unattainable". Regarding these reports, Kensington Palace told Bustle in a statement, "This is not something that we are commenting on." Bustle also reached out to the production company, Danjaq, for comment, but did not receive an immediate response.

According to a "film source" who spoke with The Sun, "Meghan fits the role of a Bond girl perfectly. She’s glamorous and sexy and a good actress. The role more recently has gone to actresses deemed to be rising stars, and Meghan certainly was seen as that before her relationship with Harry became public."

The same source added, "The brief was to find a glamorous rising star, specifically someone American or Canadian. Producers had narrowed down her and four other actresses on a shortlist last year with Bond 25 in mind. But the minute her relationship to Harry came to light they assumed she was out of the running so it soon became a list of four. Her engagement effectively spelt an end to her acting career too so that was the final blow."

To some, this might sound like Markle lost out on the biggest role of her life, but, let's face it, she's currently living the biggest role of her life — and not just because she is going to become the wife of a prince. Yes, it's awesome Prince Harry will soon be her husband, because, well, he's beyond adorable and amazing. However, there is so much more to it than that.

Markle is going to do great things as part of the British Royal Family, especially philanthropically. Like she revealed during her first joint interview with Harry after they announced their engagement in November, "As you said, the causes that have been very important to me [UN women], I can focus even more energy on because very early out of the gate we realized once you have access or a voice that people are willing to listen to with that comes a lot of responsibility, which I take seriously."

Another reason her marrying into the royal family is major for her is because Markle's challenging the royal status quo. She's the first American, divorced, and biracial royal fiancée, not to mention the oldest at 36. Both she and Harry have also chosen to have a more modern romance. They aren't afraid to express themselves romantically in public or to change family traditions, like when Markle attended Christmas with Queen Elizabeth II. Markle is drastically breaking barriers and it's probably something she's proud of.

It's also important to remember that when it comes to acting, Markle has moved on (USA confirmed her exit from Suits in November), so if she really did miss out on an opportunity to be a Bond girl, then she might not even be that upset. Plus, there's always the chance she wouldn't have wanted the role. Either way, Markle is extremely happy to be starting this next stage of her life. "I don't see it as giving anything up, I just see it as a change," she told BBC after being asked about "giving up" her career for a royal life. She also added, "It's a new chapter."

As for her time on Suits, she said, "Also, keep in mind, I've been working on my show [Suits] for seven years. So, we were very, very fortunate to be able to have that sort of longevity on a series. And, for me, once we hit the 100-episode marker, I thought, 'You know what, I have ticked this box and I feel really proud of the work I've done there and now it's time to, as you said, work as a team with [Harry]."

Being a Bond girl definitely has its perks and has transformed many women's careers, but Markle doesn't need it to influence her life. She's doing just that all by herself.