The erasure of Meghan Markle‘s blackness is already beginning, after the stars of Netflix’s series The Crown suggested that non-Black woman should play her, should her character be added to the fictional show.
Claire Foy and Matt Smith told Watch What Happens Live! with Andy Cohen they think the role should go to none other than Selena Gomez.
It all started when a caller asked about Meghan Markle’s engagement to Prince Harry and asked their opinion on who should play the two of them in the show.
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“The thing is they’re so young, aren’t they?” said Foy, who plays Queen Elizabeth II. “And they’re probably not going to be on the show for another five years, so we’re going to have to choose someone who’s about 11 or 12.”
Then, Smith, who plays Prince Philip, started talking about a singer for a casting choice. When Cohen thought Smith meant that he thought Ed Sheeran should play Prince Harry, Smith said that he was looking for the name of a singer he thought should play Markle.
“No, the singer who goes out with Justin Timberlake,” Smith said. “No, not Justin Timberlake – Justin Bieber. Selena Gomez!”
“You love Selena Gomez,” Foy said.
Of course, not everyone was so thrilled with Smith’s suggestion, since Markle is a Black woman. But considering the fact that it won’t even be a question of casting for the show for several more years, hopefully, that’s enough time for the executives to get it right.
