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Mindy Kaling, acclaimed actress and producer, recently shared her experience appearing on Meghan Markle’s upcoming Netflix series “With Love, Meghan” while simultaneously discussing her work on a show about the Buss family dynasty.

During a Time Magazine interview published February 19, Kaling drew an interesting parallel when describing the Buss family, owners of the Los Angeles Lakers, as “a famously dysfunctional, extremely wealthy Los Angeles family.”

The conversation then shifted to her participation in Meghan’s new cooking and lifestyle show, which, interestingly, isn’t filmed at the Duchess’s actual residence but at a rented mansion two miles away from her home.

Speaking about her appearance, Kaling revealed that the invitation came during her maternity leave. “I was on maternity leave with my daughter in March and April, and Meghan texted me that she was doing a show where she was going to cook for her friends. Would I want to come to Montecito and have her cook for me?”

She continued, “I wanted to get taken care of in that moment of my life. That was a fun maternity leave field trip. And I left with a basket of fresh produce and homemade jam and hot sauce because she knew I loved hot sauce. She’s a very generous woman who knew I needed a break. Spoiler alert: I did.”

The episode focused on children’s party planning, with Kaling sharing some surprising insights. “I love cooking, but I’m really not good at entertaining. I don’t know anything about how you’re not supposed to use overhead lighting when people come over. You’re supposed to use little lamps,” she explained.

“But Meghan just knows how to do that stuff. For kids’ parties I usually just go to the party supply store and get paper things, which I don’t judge and neither does she. But it was fun to learn simple ways to do a homemade kids’ party.”

Kaling went on to defend the Duchess against public perception: “I think a misconception about Meghan is that she’s in any way fussy or has expectations of fanciness. She really is a down-to-earth person who knows a lot of fun tricks to make entertaining and cooking easier.”

The show’s filming location, as reported by the Daily Mail, is “an idyllic $8 million … estate nestled within a gated community, [which] boasts eight acres of avocado trees and lemon groves and is owned by Montecito’s influential Cipolla family.”

The irony seems lost on Kaling, who describes both the Buss family and her royal friend in similarly contrasting terms – one as famously dysfunctional and wealthy, while portraying the other as down-to-earth despite similar circumstances. The intersection of Hollywood’s influence on perspective becomes apparent in Kaling’s seemingly unconscious conflation of relatable lifestyle tips with luxury living arrangements and elaborate entertaining guidelines.