Meghan Markle ‘in advanced talks’ for huge Netflix role after UK return
The Duchess of Sussex is said to be ‘very excited’ about a new acting project (Picture: AP) Meghan Markle could be heading back to acting in a major way, with the Duchess of Sussex reportedly in advanced talks to join Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen. The 45-year-old is said to be discussing a role in the hit Netflix crime series, with the part currently written for its as-yet-unannounced third season.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, it is not yet known how many episodes Meghan could appear in, but discussions are understood to be at an advanced stage. The potential casting suddenly sheds considerably more light on reports earlier this week that Meghan had been offered a mysterious ‘top secret’ British acting project – one said to have played a part in her and Prince Harry’s decision to move back to the UK.
The Gentlemen, which shoots in Britain, would certainly fit the bill. Meghan is also understood to have met director Guy Ritchie through mutual acquaintances, although further details about the possible role are being kept firmly under wraps. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page Netflix has not yet confirmed the casting. The reported talks come just weeks before the second season of The Gentlemen premieres on September 3, while a third instalment has yet to be formally announced. Should Meghan sign on, it would mark her most significant acting role since leaving Suits and stepping away from the profession ahead of her marriage to Prince Harry.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that Meghan and Prince Harry will live in a non-royal residence outside of London, having already enrolled Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet in British schools. At the time, sources close to the pair did not deny claims that Meghan has been offered a role in an upcoming British production.
Australian outlet news.com.au first reported that one of the reasons behind the couple’s decision to return to Britain was because Meghan had been offered a part in a ‘top secret’ project. Entertainment reporter Bronte Coy has told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that Meghan is reportedly ‘very excited about the project’.
Meghan’s biggest role was as Rachel Zane in Suits (Picture: Shane Mahood/USA Network/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images) ‘I’m told it’s significant, and she’s very excited about it,’ Coy said. Coy also said that the supposed job was a ‘key part of the puzzle’ behind their decision to move back and we ‘will find out relatively soon’ what the project is.
If the latest reports are referring to the same project, that puzzle may now have a fairly Guy Ritchie-shaped piece slotted into place. The Gentlemen began as a television spin-off of Ritchie’s 2019 film of the same name and follows aristocrat Eddie Horniman, played by Theo James, after he unexpectedly inherits his family’s sprawling country estate – only to discover it is sitting on top of an enormous cannabis empire.
Kaya Scodelario stars alongside James as Susie Glass, with the series mixing British aristocracy, gangsters, drugs and plenty of the director’s trademark criminal chaos. Prince Harry and Meghan will be moving back to the UK this year (Picture: Chris Jackson/Getty Images for the Invictus Games Foundation)
A role in that world would also be quite the reintroduction for Meghan, whose most famous acting part remains considerably more buttoned-up. Prior to her relationship with Harry, Meghan was best known for playing Rachel Zane in the US legal drama Suits, appearing in the series for seven seasons before her final episode aired in 2018.
After marrying Prince Harry, she stepped away from acting, describing the decision at the time as the start of a ‘new chapter’. However, the 45-year-old – who will continue to run her brand As Ever from the UK – recently made a cameo as herself in the upcoming comedy Close Personal Friends, starring Lily Collins and Brie Larson.
Meghan’s expected return to acting also seems to be piquing the interest of directors and producers, according to a leading talent manager. Professor Jonathan Shalit, chairman of InterTalent Rights Group, told PA: ‘If she wants to return to acting, I have absolutely no doubt there would be interest in her.
‘Suits has had an extraordinary life beyond its original run. It continues to be discovered and rediscovered through streaming and repeats, so there is already an audience who know Meghan as an actress rather than simply as the Duchess of Sussex. Questions about the couple’s finances remain unanswered as they prepare to return to the UK (Picture: Zak Hussein/Backgrid)
After marrying Harry, Meghan stepped away from acting (Picture: AFP/Getty) ‘Had she not married Harry, I think it is perfectly reasonable to assume that Suits would have been a very strong platform from which to pursue other major television and film roles. ‘If Meghan decided tomorrow that she seriously wanted to act again, directors and producers would absolutely want to meet her and audition her.
‘Would she automatically be handed every role she wanted? Of course not. Nobody is. But would doors open? Absolutely.’ This comes after questions have been raised over the Sussexes’ finances and whether taxpayers will foot the bill for their security. Prime Minister Andy Burnham recently said the funding was a ‘private matter’.
The move follows a visit to the UK in July, when Harry, Meghan and their children met King Charles at his Highgrove home in Gloucestershire. It was the first time the King had seen his grandchildren in person in more than four years, and the first time Harry and Meghan had visited the UK together since 2022.