Melissa McCarthy Is Inspired By Meghan Markle: 'We Need Billion More People Like That'

Melissa McCarthy, who is a huge fan of Meghan Markle said she’s inspired by the Duchess of Sussex and revealed why she wanted to get involved in her 40x40 initiative.

Meghan launched the charitable initiative in honor of her 40^th birthday earlier this month. The project asks 40 individuals to dedicate 40 minutes of mentorship to a woman returning to the workforce after the pandemic. The Duchess launched the initiative through a comedic video starred by her and McCarthy.

In the tongue-in-cheek video, Meghan and McCarthy joked about marking her 40^th birthday by holding a cast reunion of “Suits,” getting matching tattoos or throwing a yacht party. Her husband Prince Harry also made a special appearance in the outtakes at the end of the clip, juggling at the window.

The 50-year-old “Bridesmaids” actress told ET the opportunity to work alongside Meghan was “just amazing,” saying she’s impressed and inspired by the Duchess.

“I love when someone chooses to lead their life the way they want to and give their children the life they want to give them,” she said, referencing Meghan and Prince Harry’s decision to step down as senior royals and leave Britain to raise their family away from the spotlight in the U.S.

“It’s her 40^th. I was wondering, ‘What fun thing does she want?’ and instead she’s like, ‘How can I get more people to help other women that need help?’” McCarthy continued. “I was like, ‘That’s what we need. We need a billion more people like that in the world to do that, to take a little bit of time, then you can really help somebody.’”

“She’s like, ‘That’s how I would like to celebrate my 40^th,’ and I was like, ‘Sign me up.’ How do you not want to do that?’” McCarthy added.

Meghan has made women empowerment one of her key advocacies since quitting the royal family. Last month, she announced she had teamed up with Netflix to produce an animated series about a young girl inspired by influential women in history.