Laura Mitchell Talks ‘Harry and Meghan: A Royal Romance’ [Exclusive Interview]

As the world counts down to the forthcoming royal wedding, the drums roll for a documentary feature that chronicles the journey of the soon-to-be couple, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

The relationship between Harry and Meghan is one that has taken the world by storm, especially because of the differences in their backgrounds.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Laura Mitchell, who plays The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, on Harry and Meghan: A Royal Romance.

We spoke about her journey to the role, the content of the movie, the striking resemblances between the cast and their characters, as well as the historical importance of this love story.

Tell-Tale TV: Congratulations on this movie! How do you feel being a part of something this huge? Has the feeling sunk in yet?  

Laura Mitchell: Well, it hasn’t really quite sunk in yet, because I didn’t realize the kind of response this movie was going to get. When I read the script, I thought it was amazing and I knew the opportunity was huge to play someone as iconic as Kate Middleton.

You know, she’s a fashion icon and all, so when I realized that it was going to be an opportunity for me, I was over the moon excited, that I had no idea the amount of response from just a couple of the trailers and how many people have watched it and shared it. I had no idea, so I’m a little overwhelmed, to be honest, and very excited.

Tell-Tale TV: How did you find out about the role? And how did you react when you learned about it?

Mitchell: My Agent sent me an audition for a self-tape for the role. As soon as I got it, I was very excited because I had been told before that I looked like Kate Middleton, and I was like, “Oh, this is wonderful!”

It was for the next day, so I stayed up all night watching YouTube videos of her, interviews of her, trying to learn the accent, and I called my actor friend to help me out.

I did that all night, we taped it at 3 in the morning, sent it off, and they ended up wanting to bring me into the room. So, I went to audition in a room of at least 10 people, who looked very stern and intimidating, but in the end, they were very nice and gracious.

I found out that I got the role [about] a week later, and I had to cancel my trip to Mexico. It was really fun. It was one of those situations where you know that a role is going to change your career (forever), so I was super excited.

Tell-Tale TV: Speaking of resemblance, apart from you and Kate, I noticed that all the other actors have striking resemblances to their characters. The most striking would be Parisa Fitz-Henley, who looks so much like Meghan Markle. It leaves me wondering what rigorous selection process must have been employed to achieve that.

Mitchell: Oh I know, it’s amazing. When I came in for the table read of the script, I had no idea who was playing Meghan Markle. It was the first time I ever met Parisa. I walked into the room and I was like “Oh My God! Is it Meghan Markle here?” It was insane.

She looks just like her, and she is so lovely, and I think that will actually change her career as well. It’s a wonderful role and she was so good in it. I think that people will really, really like it. When you hear the response from people about Parisa and her resemblance to Meghan, it is true, it’s uncanny, they could pass for sisters.

Tell-Tale TV: For people who do not know about the movie, can you give a synopsis of it?

Mitchell: Well, I can’t say too much about it, but what I can say is that it’s a love story.

It’s the journey of the relationship between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, from the very beginning to where they are now, the ups and downs and how complicated it is to come into the royal family, and also because there was a lot of controversy and backlash regarding her [Meghan’s] race and her background, plus her divorce.

It delves into all of the issues that happened leading up to their engagement. It really is a lovely story and it’s quite riveting to watch. Being in the scenes and knowing the context of the scenes and the fact that they actually happened in real life, it was really great to be a part of it.

Tell-Tale TV: How much of the story is being told by the movie? Were some things considered off-limits?

Mitchell: No, I don’t think anything was off-limits, to be honest. I think people will be quite shocked by some of the scenes and the subject-matter because I really think that they tried to tell a true story of things that happened. It’s a little snippet into the life of the royal family.

Tell-Tale TV: Was there a royal seal of approval on the movie? And so far, has there been any response from the royal family?

Mitchell: Oh, I actually have no idea about that. I would actually like to know that. I’m not sure what the writers did or if the producers had or have had any response at all.

I just know that a lot of the subject-matter are things that happened in the media, things that the public know about, and I think I’m sure that there are embellishments for certain scenes. But, as far as a response from the royal family, I have no idea. I hope they all watch it.

Tell-Tale TV: How would you describe your character, Kate Middleton? Without giving anything away, how important is her role in the grand scheme of this entire love story? What was her impact?

Laura: She is actually a large factor in Harry’s life. I think that over the years, Harry, William and Kate became very close, and she acted a little bit like a confidant or a big sister in a way with Harry.

With their relationship in the film and the way it is portrayed, I really do think that they are quite close. I’ve read some articles on how close-knit they really are because they all have to deal with the pressures of being in a royal family.

Tell-Tale TV: The stories of Kate and Meghan are somewhat similar. How important is this love story considering that Meghan is an African American woman, not affiliated with royalty?

Mitchell: I think it’s a really important story because it shows how the monarchy is ready to change, ready to adapt to the times. Because I feel like if they were against it or if there was a huge backlash from them, people wouldn’t support that because the monarchy has been around for a long time.

But I think it’s time for them to get with the times. It’s such a fairytale story whereby a girl from any walk of life gets to become royalty.

Tell-Tale TV: How did you learn the British accent, to be able to sound like Kate Middleton?

Mitchell: I watched a lot of videos, a lot of documentaries, and just tried to mimic her voice as much as I could, and I felt like I had a fairly good grasp on the accent.

Also, I very much appreciate the fact that we had a dialect coach on set with us, and she was my absolute savior. So, in-between each take, if there was anything that sounded funny or off or didn’t sound British enough, she would run over to us with her pencil and her files in her hand and tell us what we didn’t get right.

It was really helpful that she was there throughout, every single day to walk us through it, to make sure we did justice to the story, because if the accent is not right, the story wouldn’t be right, and I know many people will be watching, and judging too.

Tell-Tale TV: Have you considered the publicity this movie will bring your way?

Mitchell: You know, I never really thought about that. I think if that’s the case, it would be wonderful because I’m really proud of the movie and I’m proud of what we did.

Everyone, from the cast, to the crew, hair and make-up, wardrobe, everyone was excited to be a part of it. I’m happy to hear people’s opinions about it, honestly, and I hope that it opens doors and helps my career but even if it doesn’t, it was a wonderful experience to be a part of. I’m really happy with it.

Tell-Tale TV: Are there other projects you’re working on, that you’re willing to talk about?

Mitchell: I have a couple of things coming up. I have a project, it’s a Psychological thriller, a film we are shooting in the next couple of weeks. And it’s a completely different role from Kate Middleton. My character is a wife searching for her husband who has been kidnapped, and she is in a really desperate state.

Tell-Tale TV: You love traveling and discovering new places. Where is your next destination and how can your fans follow your adventures?

Mitchell: I actually post all my travel photos on my Instagram. It’s laura.janemitchell. I’m going away for all of June to Tuscany and the region called Puglia.  We are spending at least 25 days there, traveling all over there and exploring.

I find that I love traveling and immersing myself in other cultures. I’ve been to India, Vietnam, Cambodia. I feel like you learn so much about yourself when you travel, and it really helps you connect to the world. It feels good to be anonymous, and try out new things — new cuisines are my favorite!

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Be sure to catch Laura Mitchell on Harry and Meghan: A Royal Romance, which premieres Sunday, May 13 at 8/7c on Lifetime.

*Edited for space and content.

*Featured image credit: Jenna Berman

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