Friends of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, have accused Netflix of using speculation about her joining The Gentlemen to generate publicity for the crime drama.
The former Suits actress was reportedly considered for a role in the third series of the Guy Ritchie-created show, but those discussions are said to have ended without a deal.
Sources close to Meghan now claim Netflix leaked details of the preliminary conversation to create excitement ahead of the release of the programme’s second series.
“Some people in her camp feel she was used to help promote season two, because they knew it wasn’t as good as the first season and had already commissioned a third,” one insider told The Telegraph.
The source described it as an old marketing tactic in which a famous person is asked to read a script before news of supposed negotiations is leaked, even when discussions have not progressed very far.
“The whole thing left a bit of a sour taste in the Sussex camp’s mouth,” the insider added.
No formal offer was reportedly made
Meghan is understood to have had a preliminary conversation with a casting director, but reports differ over how seriously she was being considered.
Initial coverage described her as being in “preliminary conversations” before later reports said she was “in talks” for a role. In the entertainment industry, the latter phrase can suggest that a formal offer or more advanced negotiations exist.
Sources have since claimed there was no official offer and that the discussions never developed into a casting agreement.
Neither Meghan nor Netflix has publicly commented on the allegation that her name was used for publicity.
The Gentlemen sources reject publicity claim
People connected to The Gentlemen have dismissed the suggestion that the programme needed Meghan to attract viewers.
“This is not a show in need of stunt casting,” a production source told The Times.
The second series reportedly became Netflix’s most-watched programme in the UK during September, attracting 10.5 million viewers. Netflix has already commissioned a third series.
The programme stars Theo James as Eddie Horniman, an aristocrat who inherits a family estate connected to a criminal organisation. It was created by British filmmaker Guy Ritchie and is based on his 2019 film of the same name.
Could Meghan return to acting?
Meghan became internationally known for playing paralegal Rachel Zane in the legal drama Suits between 2011 and 2018.
She stepped away from acting after becoming engaged to Prince Harry in 2017 and later joining the British royal family.
Although Meghan previously indicated that she had finished with acting, she has recently returned to entertainment through her Netflix lifestyle programme With Love, Meghan and a reported cameo in the film Close Personal Friends.
A role in The Gentlemen would have represented her most significant return to scripted television since leaving Suits.
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