Meghan Markle’s wedding to Prince Harry may not be for another 10 days, but fans of the romance will be able to grab a preview of the very special event this weekend, when the Lifetime movie Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance hits screens.
However, before either the movie release date, or the wedding itself, the actress who stepped into Meghan Markle’s shoes in order to play her on the screen is seizing her moment in the spotlight, revealing what it has been like to take on the role of the soon-to-be royal.
In a sit down with Oath’s Build series, Jamaican-born actress Parisa Fitz-Henley expressed her hope that the story help people ‘be able to see past titles and nationalities and races, and all of the other things that truly in a capital “T” true sense don’t really matter, and see people coming together’.
All smiles: Parisa Fitz-Henley, 41, who plays Meghan Markle in the new Lifetime movie Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance, has discussed what it means to her to take on the role
Snuggled up: Parisa stars opposite Scottish actor Murray Fraser, who plays Prince Harry, in the film, which will air on Sunday
Big day: The movie is airing just a week before Meghan and Prince Harry are too be married
Parisa added that growing up she ‘never saw interracial families on television,’ which is why seeing Harry and Meghan together has meant so much to her.
‘It’s just a really sweet homage to a love, a friendship – and a friendship that’s tested by challenges, like all of us,’ she said.
‘I hope people will see themselves in it and take a little hope with them as they go.’
Parisa also revealed in an interview with the Today show that it was the engagement video that Meghan and Harry filmed shortly after the Prince popped the question that got Parisa interested in the role.
Movie time: Parisa, pictured with her co-star Murray, revealed that she had expressed a desire to play Meghan before she even found out there would be a movie
Big news: Parisa, who is pictured in New York on Tuesday, received news of the audition while she was ‘in the woods’ with her parents ‘covered in dirt’
‘It was after I saw the engagement interview they did I said “I’m so taken with this woman and this couple. It would just be fun to audition,”‘ she said.
And to Build, Parisa claimed that she called up her agent right away, saying that, hypothetically, if there were to be a movie made about the couple, she would want that audition.
‘And then it was just weeks later. I was in the woods with my parents, covered in dirt, and this email came in and was like: “Okay, you’re going to try and be the most glamorous woman in the world in a couple of days,”‘ she said.
After landing the role, Parisa and the filmmakers did their best to take her already similar look a step further, to make the transition for the viewer ‘seamless.’
Lots of love: The royal relationship means even more to her because she ‘never saw interracial families on television’ growing up
Meet and greet: Parisa also opened up about the hair and make-up transformations she went through for the role
‘We really took time to have the hairstyles that she does, to make sure that some of the freckles match and little things,’ she said.
The make-up artist on set even used such convincing contouring to make Parisa’s nose looks more like Meghan’s that the actress herself was startled by the likeness on screen.
‘I really want her just one day to come back to acting for a little and play my sister. I just want her to do that one day,’ she added, before turning to the camera to address her lookalike directly.
‘Meghan, if you ever want to, I think we should make something together.’