"No, I'm done." 11 things we learned from Meghan Markle's Variety interview.

It's been a short while since we heard from Meghan Markle following the Queen's death. 

Her podcast episodes of Archetypes are back up and running, and so too are her cover interviews with some of the world's leading mastheads. Enter Variety. 

This week, the Duchess of Sussex's profile with Variety went live, and there's plenty of vignettes that have people talking. Namely, the reference to Meghan being in mourning, plus her interest in producing a rom-com film.

Here's the 11 biggest takeaways.

1. The setting for the interview was very L.A.

When Meghan met the interviewer, journalist Matt Donnelly, they were at San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito, California. And according to the journalist, it was quite the lush spot – an older luxury resort in the mountains overlooking the coast – a place where "wealthy locals and L.A. transplants come to be treated like royalty".

As Meghan was chaperoned in a golf buggy at the resort to her Variety photo shoot location, a group of 60-something women ogled with interest.

"'Can you imagine?' said one of the women wistfully after the duchess had passed, perhaps talking about the life she has led thus far – an American woman meeting and marrying a handsome young prince beloved by all the world," the journalist wrote. Meghan then smiled and waved at the group.

2. Meghan Markle was characterised as a "nerdy American mum" in the interview.

In the media, Meghan has been described in every way possible – both positive and negative. 

The journalist said that after spending a day with Meghan – albeit a highly curated one – Meghan came across entirely different to what he initially expected.

"Meghan talks about how she loves to watch Jeopardy! and do Wordle in bed with a glass of wine. She absentmindedly raps her son's favourite song (a track about the Tyrannosaurus rex from Ask the StoryBots) and talks enthusiastically about Beyoncé (specifically, how 'Cozy' is her favourite song from the new album)."

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3. The journalist made the overt point that Meghan Markle was kind to everyone she met during their day together – proving that she is not a 'diva'.

From smiling and waving to the group of excited women at the resort, to being kind to all the people at the photo shoot, it was clear the journalist wanted readers to know that Meghan wasn't a 'diva' – a label that has often wrongly been thrown at her.

"At the shoot, she couldn't have been more at ease as she shook the hand of every crew member, stylist and photographer's assistant. She burst out laughing at the drop of a hat, almost like a princess in a Hollywood movie," he wrote.

Reflecting on the backlash from her interview with The Cut – which some say painted Meghan in a negative light – Meghan said: "Part of me is just really trusting, really open. That's how I move in the world. I have to remember that I don't ever want to become so jaded that that piece of me goes away. So despite any of those things? Onward. I can survive it."

She then said that the public's assumptions about herself have caused stress, noting she wants people to see her for what she is: a human.

"When there is this much noise, you become dehumanised. But if you remember that someone is a human being, then you don't treat them, talk about them, look at them the same way. My hope for Archetypes is that people come out thinking, 'Oh! She's a real person! She laughs and asks questions and approaches things with curiosity'."

4. Meghan Markle was concerned about being "a distraction" to the Queen's death or mourning period.

The Variety interview took place three weeks after Queen Elizabeth's death.

The journalist explained that Meghan was worried about "any comments about the queen or her in-laws", saying she didn't want to be "a distraction" from continued mourning. 

"There's been such an outpouring of love and support. I'm really grateful that I was able to be with my husband to support him, especially during that time," Meghan said.

"What's so beautiful is to look at the legacy that his grandmother was able to leave on so many fronts. Certainly, in terms of female leadership, she is the most shining example of what that looks like. I feel deep gratitude to have been able to spend time with her and get to know her. It's been a complicated time, but my husband, ever the optimist, said, 'Now she's reunited with her husband'."

She then reflected fondly on her first official engagement that she had with the late Queen, saying it made her feel very "special" and "fortunate".

5. Meghan Markle was nervous before her Oprah interview went to air and credits Gloria Steinem's birthday party for distracting her.

The iconic Oprah interview had more than 18 million people tuning in on TV back in early 2021. During that time in the forefront of the spotlight, Meghan said Gloria Steinem – an American journalist and social advocate – was a big support.

Watch: A look back at Meghan Markle's interview with Oprah Winfrey. Post continues below.

"Even before the interview, I hadn't been out because I was so pregnant. The one thing I really remember was Gloria Steinem's birthday, a few days after it aired. I really wanted to celebrate [with] her at what I thought was just going to be a small and intimate birthday lunch," Meghan said.

"Walking into a room alone is never easy for me, and I remember feeling a bit uncomfortable. But before I could let my uncertainty linger, Pamela Adlon [actress, comedian, screenwriter] came up to me and greeted me with such warmth and kindness. She toured me around the room, and at every turn, more generosity and love was felt. Maybe it's just a testament to the kind of company Glo keeps, but I also think these women were extraordinary to ensure I felt so welcomed. It's like they knew exactly what I needed to feel in that moment."

6. Meghan Markle said it feels good to "trust" the director of her and Prince Harry's new docuseries.

"It's nice to be able to trust someone with our story, a seasoned director whose work I've long admired, even if it means it may not be the way we would have told it," Meghan said about director Liz Garbus.

"We're trusting our story to someone else, and that means it will go through their lens. It's interesting. My husband has never worked in this industry before. For me, having worked on Suits, it's so amazing to be around so much creative energy and to see how people work together and share their own points of view. That's been really fun," Meghan shared.

7. As per other recent interviews, Meghan Markle reiterated that she grew up as 'the smart one', not 'the pretty one'.

When asked about who she was most nervous to interview for Archetypes, Meghan said it was Paris Hilton.

"I was embarrassed to admit it, but I've had a judgement about her that's based on everything I've seen, and I don't like to come from a place of judgement. But I also didn't grow up pretty," Meghan said to Variety.

Asked to expand on her point, Meghan said her judgement towards Paris had initially come from a place of "envy".

"I grew up as the smart one. So much of what I ended up thinking about when I thought about Paris, was envy and judgement. But then you hear about her trauma and her life and her buying into this persona. Ultimately, I told her, 'I'm really sorry that I judged you'."

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Meghan went on to say that Paris – and any woman – shouldn't just be seen as 'the smart one' or 'the pretty one'. Rather, she said her podcast aims to humanise women whose character has been "misrepresented".

8. As for acting, Meghan Markle said "no, I'm done".

When asked if she would return to acting ever again, Meghan confirmed: "No. I'm done. I guess never say never, but my intention is to absolutely not."

She was also asked about working in the entertainment industry prior to the #MeToo movement and full transparency among cast and production execs.

"We didn't have a name for it at that time. There were just certain things that were accepted. If there was any discomfort, you just dealt with it. It forced a lot of women to live with this idea of staying silent. All of season one on Suits, I was convinced I was going to get recast."

9. Meghan Markle shared what her regular work day looks like alongside Prince Harry.

The pair in fact share an office and work remotely from home.

"It allows us to have significant time with our kids at this really special moment in their lives. We'll never get this time back. I make breakfast, and we get the kids set for the day. We do a lot of joint calls and Zooms, but also try to divide what we can focus our energies on so we can accomplish even more," Meghan said.

As for their favourite snacks between work, Meghan said they are often "equipped with chocolate chip cookies the size of my toddler's head" and In-N-Out drive-thru.

10. Meghan Markle had some advice for anyone who plays her in an upcoming film or TV show. 

When asked if she had wondered about the potential for actors to play 'Meghan Markle' in the future, Meghan said she hadn't yet given it much thought.

"It's all weird. You have to compartmentalise," she said.

As for some advice for any future Meghan Markle actors: "I hope that in preparing for that role, she finds the softness and the playfulness and the laughter. The silliness. I just hope she finds the dimensions. Also, she can call me!"

11. Meghan Markle said that for the rest of her Archewell projects, she and Prince Harry want to focus on love stories.

"So much of how my husband and I see things is through our love story. I think that's what people around the world connected to, especially with our wedding. People love love. I'm not excluded in that sentiment. We use that as the baseline of the kind of shows and documentaries we want out there," she said.

Meghan explained that their options with this framework are endless, saying the Invictus Games and Prince Harry's love for the army is an example of this.

As for scripted projects, Meghan said that they want to move on from the serious into the fun – and perhaps even into the rom-com genre.

"We want to think about how we can evolve from that same space. Like a good rom-com. Don't we miss them? I miss them so much. I've probably watched When Harry Met Sally a million times. And all the Julia Roberts rom-coms. We need to see those again."

As for what she wants the most out of life, Meghan simply said to feel joy. 

"That's really it. It's everything that we can work toward for ourselves, our friends, our kids, those around us – that would feel so good. And we do feel joyful."

Feature Image: Variety/Mamamia.