Sydney Morton of Lifetime's "Harry & Meghan: Escaping the Palace" on Walking in Meghan Markle's Shoes

For Morton exploring the previous portrayals of the royal couple was a must quotI chose to watch the previous films just so I could really understand the threepart story we were tellingquot she revealed in an exclusive MediaVillage interview quotAll three of the movies are so different in tone that it didn39t really feel like 39Oh gosh we need to recreate what they did39 or anything like that It39s like 39Alright we need to have a different chapter of this story39quotAccording to Morton she had a broad knowledge of the narrative she and Dean would be telling beyond the events depicted in the earlier films quotI had a very apparent understanding of itquot she explained quotIt39s not something I follow every day but there were milestones like the wedding which I got up early to watch I obviously watched the Oprah interview the night it aired but there were holes in my knowledge These movies really filled in the blanks for a lot of American viewers And with this movie it will be interesting for them to learn the ins and outs of how the royal family and 39the firm39 operate and how that all unfolded over the past couple of yearsquotMorton didn39t have to think too hard when she was offered this highprofile role quotI didn39t hesitate muchquot she shared quotJust knowing that this is so topical current and had so much energy around it I really didn39t I find it fascinating and I thought it would be an interesting challenge But because they39re living people this is their word We39re depicting not only their lives but some traumatic moments in them and we wanted to handle it with a lot of care empathy and respect It39s not like decades have passed for everyone to have processed it all We39re all still kind of living through itquotThe first step in portraying Markle which she does remarkably well was to study her quotWe had to quarantine before starting shooting so I watched a lot her and I read a lot of her writingquot Morton recalled quotI had voice memos of interviews some lines from Suits and even bloopers I listened to them a lot to get her voice down but I really wanted to get her essence and her point of view more than to do an impersonationquotMeghan has certain mannerismsquot she continued quotShe39s got this West Coast thing and is definitely grounded I live in New York and tend to operate at a faster pace but I think playing this role kind of calmed me down a little bit Meghan also really holds eye contact so that was something I wanted to do along with certain inflections that are very her Other than that it was more about not feeling stuck in an impersonation and capturing her essence and kind of grounding it in the moments of a scenequotThen came the look quotI didn39t think I had such a resemblancequot she mused of seeing herself in character for the first time quotShe has such a signature look With the makeup and the freckles painted on her eye makeup clothing and everything amp8230 putting that on I was like 39Oh wow this is gonna be really fun39 It changed how I moved and was the final piece I did get to keep a few of the less iconic outfits tooquotOne thing Harry ampamp Meghan Escaping the Palace doesn39t shy from is the controversy surrounding the couple39s decision to go it alone The movie covers everything from Markle39s mental health struggles to her silencing by quotthe firmquot to the splintering of the Harry and William39s relationship along with the accusations of racism and lack of support raised in their tellall Oprah sitdown quotI don39t think you can tell this story without including those aspectsquot Morton admitted quotThey39re uncomfortable and triggering As a woman of color watching the Oprah interview I39m sure many people would agree While I may not know what it39s like to experience those things as one of the most famous people in the world within the royal family I think every person of color has experienced those feelingsquotI think the instances of outright racism will resonate with so many peoplequot she added quotIt39s important I mean they wouldn39t make the decision to leave the palace lightly the stakes were high Why would they make such a huge decision possibly fracture their family and have so many people hate them for it You wouldn39t make that decision cavalierly We had to include all of the aspects to really tell the story and explain why they did what they didquotThroughout filming Morton was grateful to have Dean as a scene partner The two remained friends following a Broadway show together in 2016 and perfectly embody the united loving front that is the royal couple quotWe were both so relievedquot Morton said of the pairing quotThe first scene was the two of us with a onemonthold baby We were grateful to already have a rapport comfort and a lot of trust If you don39t believe that they39re in love you wouldn39t believe the steps that they took to protect their relationship and their familyquotAs for any backlash the movie might incur Morton is ready quotAt the end of the day I am an actor playing a rolequot she said in closing quotI39m not her biographer I39m not her So I have to remove myself from the conversation But there39s a part of me that thinks if people watch this and respond strongly then we39ve done something rightquotHarry ampamp Meghan Escaping the Palace will be telecast Monday September 6 at 8 pm following repeats of Harry ampamp Meghan A Royal Romance and Harry ampamp Meghan Becoming Royal on LifetimeClick the social buttons to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Sydney Morton of Lifetime's "Harry & Meghan: Escaping the Palace" on Walking in Meghan Markle's Shoes

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