GENTLEMAN'S DISAGREEMENT

‘The Gentlemen’ Star Breaks Silence on Meghan Markle Rumors

The Duchess’ move to the U.K. has prompted serious speculation.

The Gentlemen star Theo James, 41, has shut down rumors that Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, will join the cast for Season 3 of the hit Netflix series.

When asked about the possibility of an ex-royal appearing on the show, which follows Eddie (James), a British aristocrat who inherits his family’s massive country estate before discovering the underground cannabis empire it houses, James quipped, “Yes, Fergie is joining. She’ll be playing my love interest.”

“No, I think that was mainly a lot of hot air,” he said of the chatter surrounding Markle’s casting in the Guy Ritchie hit. “At the moment, we’re just trying to get as many eyes on season two, and then season three will happen soon. But in terms of story, we have the overarching ambition of where we’re going to go.”

The Markle rumors began when royal commentator Bronte McCoy told the BBC that Markle, 45, had been in early talks for a role in The Gentlemen’s third season. Markle and Prince Harry relocated from California to the U.K. in late August and enrolled their children in British schools for the upcoming year, prompting speculation that the upheaval is tied to the acting gig.

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The Daily Beast’s Tom Sykes reported that despite Markle’s camp declining to comment on the record about the new gig, “sources close to Meghan hinted to me that the rumor was true.” Netflix’s U.K. scripted chief Manda Levin stoked the flames further when she cryptically told a crowd at the Edinburgh TV Festival, “All bets are off” regarding the Duchess’ role.

Royal expert (and Daily Beast co-founder) Tina Brown then wrote in her Substack, Fresh Hell, that the casting had been “withdrawn.”

“The backlash in the U.K. was so intense, it became untenable to go forward,” she wrote. “This does not bode well for Meghan’s acting comeback in the U.K.”

Regardless of the Markle whirlwind, James is excited for the show’s future. Season 2 premieres September 3, with larger narrative moments planned for Season 3.

“We’re going to expand the world, go to different countries,” he said. “But in terms of the minutiae, I mean, it’s still very much up in the air.”

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Dana Herrnstadt Editorial Intern, Obsessed

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