从王室到好莱坞，哈里与梅根的道路为何越走越窄？
几年前，哈里王子和梅根高调脱离英国王室，带着“自由夫妻”的光环移居美国，签下了包括Netflix与Spotify在内的多份天价合约。那段时间，似乎真的觉得两人可以迅速在好莱坞占据一席之地。然而这个星期据《人物》杂志报道，Netflix决定不再续签他们高达一亿美元的制作合约，也就是说这对曾经风头无两的夫妻，似乎在名利场已经彻底迷失了方向。
他们与Netflix的合作虽然一开始备受瞩目，但最终只交出了几部平庸，毫无创意的作品。除了最初关于他们自身经历的纪录片引起了一阵子热闹之外，后续的内容几乎都没能激起水花。梅根主持的生活方式节目《With Love, Meghan》虽然开播时有一定关注度，但很快就被淹没在Netflix的众多节目里，甚至都没有进入全球前300名的剧目行列里。我也凑热闹看了这个节目，真的既没有明确的风格，也没有足够的吸引力，与嘉宾在一起的故事线也很弱。另一部由哈里制作的关于马球的纪录片，那更是悄悄上线又悄悄被遗忘了。
其实Netflix并非唯一的问题。他俩与Spotify签下的巨额独家播客也是在仅仅推出一个季度的节目后就戛然而止。梅根虽然又推出了新播客《Confessions of a Female Founder》，但也是几乎无人讨论，热度低得出奇。她的生活方式品牌“As Ever”虽然经常出现产品售罄的情况，但购买的顾客频频抱怨等待补货时间过长，让人觉得这种“稀缺感”更多是炒作效果，而不是扎实的做生意。
我想大家都很清楚，他们真正能够引发热议的内容几乎都围绕着皇室展开。哈里的畅销回忆录《Spare》之所以成为全球热卖，是因为书中直白的叙述和充满争议的内幕；他们的首部Netflix纪录片同样如此。人们对他们的兴趣，更多源自于他们与皇室之间的矛盾与八卦，而不是他们作为内容创作者或商业人的价值。
正因为如此，自从来到好莱坞之后，他们一直没有找到新的品牌定位。是要全力成为高端生活方式品牌的代表，像格尼斯派特洛的“GOOP”那样卖理想化的奢华生活？还是要回归亲民，塑造一个可以与大众产生共鸣的形象？梅根的Netflix节目似乎是想两者兼顾，结果是既不够奢华，也不够真实。而且两人也挺清高，似乎以为他们的“名字”就是流量，做了节目之后，既不积极推广，也不热烈互动。即使是碧昂丝这样级别的明星，也曾花了好多年接受采访、走红毯、为自己的作品亲自站台，才建立起如今能不做宣传的地位。
我也看到一些人将哈里和梅根与奥巴马夫妇进行对比。奥巴马的Higher Ground Productions 在过去几年间，制作了奥斯卡获奖纪录片、口碑剧集、深度播客和多种类型的影视作品。他们不仅依靠政治和文化资源推动项目，更重要的是，他们从未试图把自己放在每一部作品的中心，而是通过内容本身建立信誉，让观众感受到一种稳定的品质感。即便很多人不知道某部纪录片或节目与奥巴马夫妇有关，那些作品依然凭借自身质量会获得认可。
相比之下，哈里和梅根的作品几乎全部围绕着他们本人展开，缺乏深度、多样性和延展性。也许，他们可以考虑借鉴奥巴马夫妇的模式，把注意力转向更广泛的公共议题，比如他们一直关注的慈善和社会服务领域，并且通过他们的资源和平台，制作有影响力的纪录片。但是可悲的是，我觉得哈里和梅根也许永远不会有奥巴马夫妇的胸怀，眼界与深度。
当然他们离开王室的初衷，是为了摆脱种族与性别的歧视。他们来到好莱坞，就是想要一个可以自己掌控自己的生活。因此，我觉得他们的谨慎和退缩还是可以理解的。但是在好莱坞这样一个竞争不断的名利场，你就必须不断产出内容、主动曝光、和观众建立联系。
因此，哈里与梅根的真正问题在于，他们到底要选择哪条路？是否愿意让自己成为超越皇室身份的“内容创造者”？还是最终只会变成另一对靠着“曾经的光环”卖红酒、卖果酱、偶尔上节目维持存在感的明星夫妻？
From Royalty to Hollywood: Why Are Harry and Meghan’s Paths Growing Narrower?
A few years ago, Prince Harry and Meghan made a very public break from the British royal family, moving to the United States under the banner of being a “free couple” and signing a slew of lucrative deals, including ones with Netflix and Spotify. At that time, it almost felt like they could quickly carve out a permanent spot for themselves in Hollywood. However, according to People magazine this week, Netflix has decided not to renew their massive $100 million production deal. In other words, this once high-flying couple now seems to have lost their direction in the world of fame and fortune.
Although their partnership with Netflix initially attracted much attention, it ultimately produced only a handful of mediocre works. Apart from the initial documentary about their own lives, which caused some buzz, almost all of their later projects failed to make waves. Meghan’s lifestyle show With Love, Meghan generated some attention when it premiered but was quickly drowned out by Netflix’s flood of content, not even making it into the platform’s global top 300 shows. I checked it out myself and found it lacked a clear style or sufficient appeal; even the conversations with guests felt forced and no clear purposes. Another documentary produced by Harry about polo quietly premiered and was just as quietly forgotten.
Netflix isn’t their only issue. Their exclusive, big-money Spotify podcast deal was also cut short after releasing just one season. Meghan later launched a new podcast, "Confessions of a Female Founder," but it has generated almost no discussion and garnered low attention. Her lifestyle brand “As Ever” often sells out its products, but customers frequently complain about the long wait times for restocking, leading many to feel that this is more a marketing gimmick than a well-planned business venture.
Everyone knows the truth: the only content they’ve made that sparks real discussion is centered on the royal family. Harry’s bestselling memoir Spare became a global hit because of its blunt narration and controversial revelations, and their first Netflix documentary was popular for the same reason. Public interest in them stems largely from their conflicts and gossip with the royal family, rather than their value as content creators or smart businesspeople.
Because of this, since arriving in Hollywood, they have failed to find a new brand identity. The questions are - do they want to go all in on becoming representatives of a high-end lifestyle brand, selling an idealized version of luxury living like Gwyneth Paltrow’s “GOOP”? Or do they want to embrace a more relatable image that resonates with everyday people? Meghan’s Netflix show seemed to aim for both, but the result was neither luxurious nor authentic. The two also come across as rather aloof, seemingly believing their “names” alone would draw attention. After creating shows, they barely promoted them or engaged with audiences. The truth is, even someone at Beyoncé’s level spent years doing interviews, walking red carpets, and personally promoting her work before reaching the point where she could rely on her name alone.
I’ve also seen people compare Harry and Meghan to the Obamas. The Obamas’ Higher Ground Productions has, over the past few years, produced Oscar-winning documentaries, acclaimed series, successful podcasts, and a variety of films and shows. They leverage their political and cultural influence, yes, but more importantly, they never try to put themselves at the center of every project. They build credibility through the content itself, creating a consistent sense of quality for audiences. Even when viewers don’t know a certain show or documentary is linked to the Obamas, those works can still stand on their own merits.
By contrast, almost all of Harry and Meghan’s projects revolve around themselves. Perhaps they could take a page from the Obamas’ playbook by focusing on broader public issues, such as the charitable and social causes they’ve championed, and using their resources and platforms to create impactful documentaries.
Sadly, I suspect either Harry or Meghan may never match the Obamas in vision, depth, or longevity.
Of course, their original reason for leaving the royal family was to escape racism and sexism. Moving to Hollywood was meant to give them control over their own lives. For that reason, I can understand their caution and withdrawal. But in Hollywood’s relentlessly competitive arena, they need to keep producing good quality content, staying visible, and building connections with audiences.
Ultimately, the real question for Harry and Meghan is - which path will they choose? Are they willing to become true “content creators” beyond their royal ties? Or will they end up as just another celebrity couple selling wine, jam, and occasionally making appearances to maintain a flicker of relevance?