Meghan: A Hollywood Princess(25)
While the Hamptons had been sampled, there were other spots she wanted to visit, schedules permitting: Greece, Mexico, Thailand, anywhere in the Caribbean were all on her list. The foodie in her fantasized about going to Bangkok and sampling the menu at Chote Chitr, the restaurant that had been featured on National Public Radio and in the New York Times.
Of course, that was if Trevor could make the time. He was always busy, and unlike the boyfriends and husbands of her Deal or No Deal “sisters,” Trevor never visited Meghan on set. In fact, it was so unusual that it was noted by the other girls. However, there were plenty of other celebrities, mainly sports stars, who dropped by, some clearly trying to get up close and personal with the girls. One guest caused quite the frisson: Donald Trump, then organizing the Miss Universe pageant and making a guest appearance as the banker on Deal or No Deal to cross-promote The Apprentice. The frequently bankrupt real estate mogul toured the set, giving girls his card and inviting them to play golf at one of his courses. Tameka Jacobs recalls: “He was a creep, super creepy, but some girls were attracted to money and power and took his number.”
Meghan was one of the girls who gave the future president a wide berth. Not that she was known for joining in much with any of the after-work events, occasions when a bevy of beautiful women, several minders in tow, trawled the bars of West Hollywood. As Meghan is now known as a thirsty socialite, it is surprising that she rarely, if ever, joined in these raucous nights of karaoke and chasers.
For a girl who would end up living her life on Instagram, it is remarkable, too, that she never posed for a silly picture, mugging for the cameras like the rest of her colleagues. Meghan knew her angles—after all, she had been taught by the best, her father—and always posed sweetly. If caught with a drink in her hand, it was only ever champagne, and she was never heard to swear—somewhat surprising given how well-known her eventual breakout show is for its off-color language.
Aside from promotional photos in costume on the Deal or No Deal set, Meghan’s only promo work for the show was self-serving, appearing at a C-level gifting suite for the 2006 Emmys in casual wear, where she was duly photographed looking at yoga mats and resort wear. Meghan’s lack of involvement in office gossip—she was always studying lines for an audition, recalls Leyla Milani—and after-work play was just one of the reasons she stood out. The other was her eating habits. While the other girls “sucked hard candy and ate raw vegetables” between scenes, Meghan would eat pizza or bags of chips, seemingly unconcerned about bloat or weight gain. And while many of the other girls thanked their lucky stars for this opportunity, Meghan saw the gig as a temporary berth. As Tameka recalls: “She was super sweet, adorable, a little sheltered, wholesome with a good head on her shoulders. Looking back, it was clear that she had a brand and wanted to protect that brand for a future career as a serious actor.” She knew where she wanted to go, and it certainly wasn’t spending her days on Deal or No Deal.
During the shooting break in November, she auditioned for and got the part of a Latina murder suspect on CSI: NY. The part once again had Meghan flashing the flesh when her character is introduced wearing a corset and suspenders. Then it was back to the cold NBC soundstage in Culver City.
During Meghan’s time on Deal or No Deal, Trevor had a film in production, a marital comedy, License to Wed starring funnyman Robin Williams. Meghan secretly hoped there would be a role for her, but the bit parts that might have suited her went to more experienced actors who had worked with the director, Ken Kwapis, on the TV series The Office. It was to become a source of conflict between the couple; Meghan was disappointed that Trevor didn’t try harder to include her in some of his productions.
No matter. She had the feeling that this could be her year. During the February round of auditions for the 2007 pilot season, she came away from a meeting with top casting agent Donna Rosenstein with a positive spring in her step. Rosenstein had been a senior vice president at ABC for many years, overseeing the casting of such series as NYPD Blue, Roseanne, and Twin Peaks, and had since set up her own company. She was Meghan’s best chance yet at the big time.
She loved the part she had been asked to read for, a former stripper and streetwalker called Kelly Calhoun who had been rescued from her seedy life by a born-again Christian cop who had fallen in love with and married her.
The show, named The Apostles, was part police drama, part Desperate Housewives, complete with similar voiceover narration, and was set in a suburban Southern California cul-de-sac where all the residents were police officers and their spouses. Shortly after her reading Meghan got the news she had been longing to hear. “Meghan, you got the part,” her agent excitedly told her. When she told her father he wrote her a loving note of congratulations, the actor keeping his tender letter in a hand-carved box by the side of her bed.
Meghan’s character wasn’t the most feminist of women, but compared to her role as a briefcase babe, Kelly Calhoun was at least a step in the right direction. Her African American husband, played by Keith Robinson, finds himself conflicted, berating her for her immoral past but drawn to her sassy yet vulnerable personality. In the tight-knit enclave Kelly finds empowerment and friendship with the other wives. She startles them first by sharing sex tips on how to keep things hot in the bedroom and then by teaching them the tricks of the stripping trade, demonstrating how to disrobe seductively. Meghan had a good feeling about the show. It ticked all the boxes: a strong cast—Shawn Hatosy from Alpha Dog, who specialized in playing tightly wound, edgy characters, was one of the leads—a solid backstory, feminist themes, and plenty of room for conflict and tension in the insular cop community. It was Desperate Housewives in uniform.