The Duchess of Sussex's highly publicised return to acting has become the latest target for Britain's legendary satirical programme Spitting Image, with new skits mocking Meghan's Hollywood ambitions going viral across social media platforms.
Puppet Parodies Iconic Film Scenes
In clips recently uploaded to YouTube and TikTok by the show's producers, a latex puppet of Meghan Markle appears in various audition scenarios for legendary film roles. The Duchess's caricature attempts to perform Robert De Niro's famous 'You talking to me?' soliloquy from the 1976 classic Taxi Driver, but adds a modern twist: 'Not without securing an exclusive deal with my publicist.'
The satire doesn't stop there. The Meghan puppet also reimagines memorable lines from blockbuster films including Jaws and Taken. While wielding a fishing rod, she delivers an altered version of the famous 'We're going to need a bigger boat' line, instead declaring: 'We're going to need a bigger house.'
Timing Coincides With Real-Life Comeback
This spoof arrives at a particularly relevant moment, coming just after revelations that the former Suits star is indeed returning to acting after an eight-year hiatus. Meghan will appear in the Amazon MGM Studios film Close Personal Friends, marking her first significant acting role since she departed Hollywood upon marrying Prince Harry in 2018.
Insiders close to the production revealed that the real-life Meghan was spotted filming in Pasadena, California earlier this month, describing her as 'genuinely excited' about her return to the screen, though she reportedly joked about feeling 'a bit rusty' after such a long break from professional acting.
Additional Royal Targets and Controversies
The Duke of Sussex hasn't escaped Spitting Image's satirical gaze either. Prince Harry features prominently in the revived series, with one sketch portraying him as co-host of a podcast alongside a particularly controversial depiction of Paddington Bear.
This Paddington parody has sparked legal action from StudioCanal, producers of the hit Paddington films, who have filed a High Court complaint over the character's portrayal as a cocaine-sniffing podcast host with Prince Harry. The bear's character refers to himself as 'Pablo Esco-bear' and discusses enjoying '100 per cent Peruvian, biodynamic, organic, catastrophic cocaine' in scenes that have outraged fans of the beloved children's character.
The Spitting Image revival, which originally ran on ITV between 1984 and 1996, was resurrected in 2020 on streaming service Britbox before being cancelled in 2022. The show has now found new life on YouTube, where its 12-episode series targets numerous public figures including Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, and King Charles.
Meghan's last acting role before her royal marriage was in the low-budget TV movie Dater's Handbook for the Hallmark Channel in 2016. Her professional acting career primarily consisted of her seven-year stint as Rachel Zane in the legal drama Suits from 2011 to 2018.
