Meghan Markle “Happy and Relaxed” on Film Set with Lily Collins

Meghan Markle is said to be ‘very relaxed and happy’ on the set of her new film with Lily Collins as she makes her return to acting.

Eight years after she quit Hollywood to become a working royal, the Duchess of Sussex, 44, is reportedly play herself in the film Close Personal Friends. 

She has been seen on set in Pasadena, California alongside her co-stars Lily, Brie Larson and Jack Quaid.

While plot details are still being kept underwraps, filmmaker Isaac Aptaker, known for This Is Us, has written the script with Jason Orley directing.

And it appears Meghan is taking it all in her stride with insiders reportedly praising the actress as ‘very sweet.’

Speaking to PEOPLE, the source revealed that she has a ‘small role’ in the project and was ‘on the set today.’ 

They added: ‘She seemed very relaxed and happy. She introduced herself to everyone and was very sweet and down-to-earth.’

Daily Mail has contacted a representative for Meghan for comment. 

A source previously  told The Sun: ‘This is a massive moment for Meghan and signifies a return to doing what she truly loves.

‘She has been swamped with offers but this one felt right.

‘Prince Harry is, of course, really supportive and quite simply wants Meghan to do whatever brings her joy.’

Meghan is best known for her role as Rachel Zane in the hit US TV-drama Suits, but also had Hollywood roles in Horrible Bosses, Get Him To The Greek and Remember Me.

Harry and Meghan stepped down as working royals in 2020 and moved to the US.

The Duchess of Sussex previously claimed she struggled to get acting roles in her early career. 

She told how she would get plenty of auditions but was regularly rejected by directors – which was a ‘lot to chip away at your self-esteem’.

Experts said the former royal may be having some trouble when it comes to finding ‘where she really fits’ as she attempts to juggle her As Ever lifestyle venture, public speaking engagements and her aspirations in the fashion world.

The Duchess also admitted in a recent podcast that she had ‘sometimes’ missed acting. 

In 2015 she wrote in a blog post about how her role in Suits had changed her life forever, gushing: ‘I remember that day like it was yesterday. My cheeks still hurt from how hard I smiled.’

But as her relationship with Harry took off and went public towards the end of 2016, her role in Suits became precarious.

Acclaimed biographer Tom Bower wrote in his 2022 book Revenge: Meghan, Harry And The War Between The Windsors that the writer Aaron Korsh planned to write her out at the end of the 2017 season.

Considering her emerging new life as a member of the Royal Family and the need to refresh the series, he planned on having Meghan’s character Rachel leave New York.

Bower, who claimed he had conversations with 80 individuals who were personally acquainted with Harry and Meghan, wrote that after her agent Nick Collins heard the news he was ‘not encouraging’.

He wrote: ‘No film producer was offering her any major roles and no serious Hollywood director spoke about featuring Meghan in his movie or TV series. Just as she feared, her acting career was stymied. Her income after 2017 would plummet.’