Wendell Pierce, the actor who played Meghan Markle's on-screen dad in Suits, has revealed how the cast rallied round her to prevent tabloid speculation and rumours in the early days of her dating Prince Harry.
Appearing on Radio 4's Desert Island Discs on Sunday, The Wire actor spoke about Markle - who played Rachel Zane in the legal drama, his on-screen daughter - after playing her father, the big-time partner lawyer Robert Zane.
Pierce had nothing but praise for his former co-star, crediting her as a 'really good actress', 'always sweet and always kind'. He also recalled an incident during filming which occurred when Markle's relationship with the Duke of Sussex became known to the world.
Read Next
Pierce explained how, in the show, Markle's character was engaged (to Patrick J Adam's character Mike Ross) so they had to be extra careful about keeping a ring-wearing Markle out of public sight.
'We were shooting one day, and it was before her engagement, but in the show she was engaged and had a ring on.
'We were about to get out the car and we said, "Don't get out! Give us the ring. There's a paparazzi down the street and if a photograph got out of you with a ring on, it would explode all over the world,'" he told radio host Lauren Laverne.
Pierce said when rumours first surfaced of Markle dating Prince Harry he didn't think believe it, that was until an 'MI5 sort of security guard with his British accent' turned up on set.
The last conversation the 55-year-old had with Markle was just before she left the show, he said, during which he imparted some fatherly-style advice to his on-screen daughter.
'I said: "Listen, your world is going to be forever changed and no matter where you are, you can always know you have a friend in me."'
Most recently, Pierce has been in London to take part in a West End adaptation of The Death Of A Salesman.
No doubt Pierce was thrilled when Markle and Prince Harry welcomed Archie into the world in May.
The Essential Guide To All Of Meghan Markle’s TV Shows & Movies
Olivia Blair is Entertainment Editor (Luxury) at Hearst UK, working across ELLE, Esquire and Harper's Bazaar. Olivia covers all things entertainment and has interviewed the likes of Margot Robbie, Emma Stone, Michaela Coel and Ryan Gosling over the years.
