Friends Say Netflix Exploited Meghan Markle Casting Rumours to Boost ‘The Gentlemen’

Friends of Meghan Markle say Netflix used speculation about her joining the cast of Guy Ritchie’s “The Gentlemen” to drum up publicity for a second season the streamer privately feared was weaker than the first, according to the Telegraph.

“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,” a friend of the Duchess of Sussex told the outlet.

“It’s the oldest marketing trick in the book: get a big name to read a script, then leak that you’re ‘in conversation’ with them when, in reality, nothing is particularly far along.”

The friend said the episode “left a bit of a sour taste in the Sussex camp’s mouth,” while acknowledging the outcome worked out well for the streamer. “Netflix got what it wanted: huge viewing figures for season two and a lot of publicity,” the friend said.

Page Six, which first reported the comments, said it had contacted representatives for both Netflix and Markle but had not heard back at the time of publication.

How the rumours started

The speculation began over the summer, when Deadline reported that Markle, 45, was in talks for a third season of “The Gentlemen” ahead of a planned return to the UK. The story gained momentum in August when Netflix’s scripted chief, Manda Levin, was asked about Markle joining the cast at the Edinburgh TV Festival and replied, “All bets are off.”

Page Six has previously reported that Markle never actually received a formal offer and had only a single conversation with the show’s casting director. “She took it as an offer. And it wasn’t,” one insider told the outlet. “And [she and husband Prince Harry] thought it would be helpful in the moment for there to be a reason for their move.”

A separate source told Page Six that while no formal offer was made, interest in Markle joining the cast was originally raised by Ritchie, 58, himself.

Background

Markle is best known for her role as Rachel Zane on the legal drama “Suits,” which she appeared in for seven seasons between 2011 and 2018, as well as films including “Remember Me” and “Horrible Bosses.” She stepped back from acting after becoming engaged to Prince Harry, 42, in 2017. Last year it was reported she had taken a role in “Close Personal Friends,” a film also featuring Brie Larson, Lily Collins, Jack Quaid and Henry Golding.