From playing a lead on a hit television show (Suits) to becoming a duchess to…becoming an extra? Meghan Markle made a return to acting—sort of—in a video from instant latte company Clevr, which Meghan invested in back in 2020 (and is personally a fan of). The brand teased Meghan’s appearance by writing in the caption, “Damn, you’re keeping us BUSY right now! Had to call in some reinforcements.” In the short clip, Meghan plays what might be best described as a “bumbling intern,” appearing in the background of every shot doing one task or the other.
The video begins with Clevr cofounder Hannah Mendoza welcoming viewers to “Clevr HQ” as she gave a tour of the company’s many departments. “I want to give a huge shoutout to our amazing Clevr team here at HQ,” she said. “Without them, we are nothing.” As she joked that the team has been listening to Britney [Spears] on loop since 2019,” the video zoomed into show a familiar face working alongside the “fulfillment crew” packing boxes: none other than Meghan herself.
Mendoza, now, sitting in an office, introduced the “very smart, only slightly nerdy digital team” as Meghan can be seen working at the desk behind Mendoza, wearing glasses and business casual attire. Then Meghan is seen yet again as Mendoza walked outside to introduce “the glue that holds us all together,” handing Mendoza a drink from a fridge and, later, greeting a team member, People reports. At the end of the video, Meghan bursts into laughter after missing a fist bump.
“This fun side to Meghan is a clever way of the brand Clevr to get a lot of social media traction and engagement by using their famous investor,” brand and culture expert Nick Ede said, per The Daily Express. “It’s also a way of showing Meghan in a new light that is both fun and frivolous. Does it work? I think that Meghan is now such a polarizing figure that comments on the social media post are negative and not celebratory, which is a shame, as the post was meant to be showing off the success and hard work of the business.”
In a 2020 news release, Meghan said her private investment in Clevr was “in support of a passionate female entrepreneur who prioritizes building community alongside her business.” Her statement continued “I’m proud to invest in Hannah’s commitment to sourcing ethical ingredients and creating a product that I personally love and has a holistic approach to wellness. I believe in her and I believe in her company.”
In February, Mendoza reflected on Meghan’s impact on the company in an Instagram post, writing “Three years ago, everything changed. None other than Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, had started drinking our lattes. Not only did she love the product, but she was extremely passionate about supporting female founders, our sustainable sourcing, and our food justice give back.” Mendoza said Meghan was the company’s first investor and an “adviser and biggest Clevr advocate.” Likely thanks to Meghan’s influence, the company landed a spot on “Oprah’s Favorite Things” list in 2021, and, after Oprah Winfrey made an Instagram video in December 2020 featuring Clevr’s products (sent to her by Meghan), it caused inventory to sell out for two full months.
“We owe so much of that to the power of women uplifting women,” Mendoza wrote.
If the goal was to get people talking, guess what? Clevr’s video worked. Like it or not, you’re reading this, aren’t you? “It does show that she’s invested in the success of the brand and the brand will know that being aligned with the ex-princess [editor’s note: she’s still a princess by virtue of her marriage to a birth prince] will create the kind of hype that startup businesses simply cannot create on their own without spending hundreds of thousands on a celebrity ambassador,” said public relations expert Laura Perkes, per The Mirror.
It's unclear how much money Meghan invested in the company, which sells latte powders in coffee, matcha, and chai flavors.
