CULTURE

Selena Gomez Should Play Meghan Markle on The Crown, Says Matt Smith

Uh…..

Dec. 8, 2017

The Crown's Matt Smith Says He Wants Selena Gomez to Play Meghan Markle on the Show

Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic/Getty Images

By now, everyone knows the next Royal Wedding will be for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Which means it’s time for the really important questions, like, once Hollywood starts making those gorgeous, costume-heavy, Academy Award-winning biopics about this generation of the Royal Family, who, exactly, should play Meghan Markle?

The answer, according to The Crown actor Matt Smith, is none other than Selena Gomez. On Thursday, Smith and his Crown co-star Claire Foy, who currently play Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II, dropped by Watch What Happens Live. During the show, a viewer asked for the actors’ thoughts on the Royal Engagement, as well as their casting choices for the happy couple. Foy jumped straight to logistics. “Well, the thing is, they’re so young aren’t they,” began Foy, “So it’s probably not going to be for another 5 years, we’ll have to choose someone who’s about 11 or 12.”

But Smith, who’s clearly been giving it a lot of thought, knew exactly who he’d cast. “Who’s that singer?” he asked. “Ed Sheeran?” asked host Andy Cohen, which, if Sheeran’s Game of Thrones cameo is anything to go by, might not be the most popular idea. “No, who goes out with Justin Timberlake, no, not Justin Timberlake, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez!”

And Selena Gomez agrees.

Getty.

“You love Selena Gomez,” said Foy, with a knowing look. “She’s playing Meghan Markle!” said Smith. “No, she’s not!” replied Foy. While clearly there’s a rather interesting backstory behind Smith’s apparently well-known love for Gomez, it is a pretty questionable casting choice. For one, the singer-actress is of Mexican-Italian descent, so casting her as Markle, whose mother is black and dad is white, is at best ignorant and at worst, extremely problematic. Still, Smith was likely joking, but hopefully showrunners find someone more appropriate for the role when the time comes. There are, after all, plenty of black biracial actresses out there who would do a fine job. Including, well, Meghan Markle herself.