Critics' Choice Awards 2020: 'Marvelous Ms. Maisel' Star Tony Shalhoub Reveals Role for Meghan Markle Amid Royal Family Exit

Could The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel host a USA Network star reunion? If Tony Shalhoub has his way, the [...]

By Daniel S. Levine

Could The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel host a USA Network star reunion? If Tony Shalhoub has his way, the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, would appear on the acclaimed Amazon series. Shalhoub told Entertainment Tonight at Critics' Choice Awards red carpet Sunday he would "absolutely" love to see her join the Maisels and Weissmans.

Shalhoub even had an idea for the possible role Markle could play. After the ET journalist suggested she could play the long-lost daughter of Jane Lynch's Sophie Lennon, Shalhoub added how she could play the illegitimate child of Kevin Pollack's Moishe Maisel.

"I'm totally spitballing," Shalhoub said though laughter.

Shalhoub was asked about Markle in light of the Duchess' surprising announcement last week that she and Prince Harry are stepping down as senior members of the British royal family. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex said they would no longer accept funds from the Sovereign Grant, which is paid by the U.K. government, and declared their financial independence.

"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex take great pride in their work and are committed to continuing their charitable endeavours as well as establishing new ones," the couple wrote in a statement on their new website. "In addition, they value the ability to earn a professional income, which in the current structure they are prohibited from doing. For this reason they have made the choice to become members of the Royal Family with financial independence."

Since that announcement, there has been speculation that Markle is interested in returning to acting. There was already a report this weekend that she signed to do voiceover work for Disney in an unknown project. Markle and Harry have not commented on those reports.

Markle and Shalhoub both starred on classic USA Network shows. Shalhoub starred in Monk from 2002 to 2009, winning a Golden Glove and three Emmys. Markle starred as Rachel Zane on Suits from 2011 to 2018. She stopped acting after marrying Harry in May 2018.

Shalhoub now stars on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as Abe Weissman, the father of Rachel Brosnahan's Midge Maisel. The role earned him an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series last year and was nominated in the same category at the 2019 Critics' Choice Awards.

This year, Alex Borstein won Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series at the Critics' Choice Awards. Brosnahan was nominated for Best Actress and the series was nominated for Best Comedy Series.

The show, created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, will be back for a fourth season. It tells the story of a '50s Jewish New York housewife who becomes a standup comedian after her husband cheats on her. All episodes are now available to stream on Amazon.

Photo credit: Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty Images

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