Reports linking Meghan Markle to a role in Guy Ritchie's Netflix series The Gentlemen may have been leaked as a public relations tactic, industry experts said today.
A Hollywood website reported on Friday that the Duchess of Sussex was in preliminary talks for a part in a third series of the gangster show, two days after she and Prince Harry revealed they are returning to the UK for an indefinite period, with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, starting school in the UK next month.
Meghan continued her publicity blitz today with a new video on her As Ever Instagram page, showing her picking apples as "a little hint of what's coming," while the Royal Family, including the King, carried on their summer holidays in Balmoral.
The claim of the duchess being in The Gentlemen was made hours after an Australian journalist said she was eyeing a return to acting as part of her move back to Britain. However, prominent royal author Tina Brown claimed on Saturday that the offer had already been withdrawn because the "backlash was so intense it became untenable."
The show, starring Theo James and Kaya Scodelario, has not yet been renewed for a third series, with its second series premiering next month, and TV insiders suggested reports of her potential involvement were leaked so she appeared in demand. Bosses at Netflix are believed to have been unaware of any potential offer to the duchess for The Gentlemen, suggesting she only spoke directly with Ritchie. Speculation is mounting that these conversations were used to make it appear her relationship with Netflix is strong and ongoing, though Netflix declined to comment to the Daily Mail today.
Public relations experts analyze potential leak
PR expert Mark Borkowski said he felt "the timing of this has an ulterior motive to do what it's doing, to generate as much attention as possible without saying anything at all," given that the revelations are happening at a quieter time of the news cycle in August. Addressing claims that the leak was deliberate, he told the Daily Mail: "It's totally plausible because there's not been a single quote from the production, so they're enjoying all the publicity, it's good for them."
Mr Borkowski added: "So there must have been, even if it was a stunt, a tacit arrangement that they were going to do this between publicists. What a good idea for everybody that we bask in the glow of attention." He continued: "There was a sort of denial that she was being given the part, but she's got enough contacts in Netflix to do this. So everything feels like a series of pseudo events."
He further noted: "We know that the press in August is lighter, Parliament isn't sitting, so they've actually got their own Bayeux Tapestry weaving various narratives without saying anything. It does strike me that they're having a good old time raising awareness, trying the media and getting instant feedback. It's a free marketing overview for their brand, it's research."
The Sussexes agreed a $100million deal with Netflix in 2020 and signed a new first-look contract last year, after the duchess's show With Love, Meghan was panned.
Sean O'Meara, managing director of the PR and content consultancy Essential Content, said it is "not uncommon in the entertainment industry and even in sports, tech or politics, for representatives to leak developments that aren't even close to completion." He explained that the concept is called "kite flying" or a "trial balloon," where representatives leak information to test public reaction or generate interest before committing.
Mr O'Meara told the Daily Mail: "Showbiz agents and political advisors are not unfamiliar with this technique. Anyone who follows football closely will know that agents regularly leak news of 'interest' or 'discussions' in players they represent to either force the hand of another party or to generate more interest in that player. Politicians may pull a similar stunt by leaking plans for a new policy under consideration to test the public response. They may even leak an extreme version of a policy so when they announce the actual policy, it looks more reasonable by comparison."
He added: "This situation is tricky for Meghan. She may well be in talks over a role in The Gentleman. All of the coverage about it so far may be technically true. Execs may be monitoring the leaks to determine whether it's a good idea to move ahead. But until the ink on the contract is dry, there's always a chance things won't pan out as planned and the leaked rumours will backfire. And of course, if the talks stall, many will wonder if it was a PR stunt."
US communications strategy criticized
PR expert Andy Barr, senior communications manager at Season One Communications, said leaking apparent interest in an actor or actress is the "oldest trick in the book that talent looking for work use." He told the Daily Mail: "I doubt that Meghan herself is sat there briefing media reporters that she has been approached, but this has the fingerprints of her very media-savvy US-based team all over it."
Mr Barr called it "a classic example of a tactic that is used predominantly in America more than here in the UK," adding that it is "yet another reason why the team advising the former royals need to switch its comms and social media function back to a UK team if they are planning to live here longer-term." He warned: "The UK public and media quickly see through tactics like this and this is why there is, once again, now a negative backlash to the story. Her team's hope would have been that the story generated interest from rival and wider TV shows and companies, but with negativity will have now quashed any such opportunities."
Meghan already has a small part in the upcoming US film Close Personal Friends, making a cameo appearance as herself alongside Lily Collins and Brie Larson. She also appeared as a guest judge on MasterChef Australia last month, after filming the episode in Melbourne in April during a four-day tour of the country with Harry.
Reports of a fuller return to acting were first revealed on Friday when entertainment sources told Australian outlet News.com.au that Meghan had been offered a role in an unnamed upcoming project based in the UK. Bronte Coy, the reporter who broke the story, said Meghan being offered the part in a "top secret" UK production played a "significant" role in the family's return.
Reports then emerged in Deadline on Friday evening that Meghan could have a role in The Gentlemen. However, Tina Brown claimed the offer had been withdrawn after the reaction in Britain became too "intense," writing in her Fresh Hell Substack newsletter: "I learned that the casting of Meghan Markle has been withdrawn. The backlash was so intense it became untenable to go forward. This does not bode well for Meghan's acting comeback."
Hollywood and West End industry reactions
Daily Mail columnist Liz Jones wrote: "I hope, if the offer has indeed been withdrawn, that Meghan doesn't go looking for another similar B-list opportunity that I'm certain will come her way." Meanwhile, a source at Disney Studios told The Mail on Sunday: "Every so often people around [Hollywood] get calls about whether there are any gigs for Meghan but she's a polarising choice. She's not someone I would want in one of my shows because you're alienating a large part of your audience before you shoot a single frame." The Disney source added that while the role in Close Personal Friends "may have presented an opportunity to stretch, the first time she's been able to do that since last week's Pilates, I fear she would have remained blissfully unaware that she was being used most cruelly."
Other sources told the Daily Mail that Meghan will be eyeing up a major part in a West End show. A former friend said she has "desperately wanted to be in a West End" production for many years and "will certainly be speaking to people about a role." Another source in Theatreland reported deafening rumours that Meghan wants to land a serious stage role in London upon her UK return.
The duchess, a former National Theatre patron, is known to be a big theatre fan and attended several West End shows with Harry while living in Britain, including Hamilton, Tina: The Musical and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Meghan had previously been known for playing lawyer Rachel Zane for seven seasons of the US legal drama Suits until she became engaged to Harry. After her last episode aired in 2018 and she joined the Royal Family, the now 45-year-old duchess paused her acting career and has not had any parts since.
Before meeting Harry, her acting credits included roles in CSI: Miami, the sci-fi show Fringe, and movies such as Get Him To The Greek, Remember Me and Horrible Bosses, as well as working as a "briefcase girl" holding a suitcase of cash on Deal or No Deal. In a joint BBC interview with Harry following their engagement in 2017, Meghan confirmed she was happy to pause her acting career, calling it a "change" and a "new chapter."
She said at the time: "What's been really exciting, as we talk about this as the transition out of my career is that the causes that have been very important to me, I can focus even more energy on. You realise that as you have access, or a voice that people are willing to listen to, [it comes with] a lot of responsibility, which I take seriously. I don't see it as giving anything up. I just see it as a change. It's a new chapter. And keep in mind I've been working on my show for seven years. We were very fortunate to have that sort of longevity on a series. For me, once we hit the 100-episode marker, I thought, I have ticked this box and I feel really proud of the work we've done there and now it's time to work as a team with [Harry]."
Relocation plans and Royal Family dynamics
In 2022, Meghan insisted she had no plans to return to acting, telling Variety magazine: "I'm done. I guess never say never but my intention is to absolutely not." Commentators have suggested that any acting role for Meghan and a subsequent return to the spotlight could be problematic for both the Sussexes and the Royal Family in general.
Baroness Wheatcroft told BBC Radio 4: "The first thing any actress wants is publicity and Meghan may be a good actress. She is certainly going to be offered roles but she has to be very careful when the inevitable interviews come along not to embarrass the royals." Meanwhile, betting firm Ladbrokes is offering 80/1 odds on Meghan appearing on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, 100/1 on EastEnders and 150/1 on Coronation Street.
Harry and Meghan will live in a non-royal residence outside of London when they move back to the UK and have already enrolled Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet in British schools. Their move comes after the duke and duchess took their children to see their grandfather, the King, for the first time in four years at his Highgrove home in July.
Questions have been raised over the Sussexes' finances as decisions about whether taxpayers will foot the bill for their security remain unanswered, but the duchess will continue to run her lifestyle brand, As Ever, from their new base.
William and Kate have not reacted publicly to the news of Harry and Meghan's return, but may have private conversations with the wider family during their summer break at Balmoral. The future king is estranged from his younger brother after Harry levelled a barrage of accusations against him, his wife, the Princess of Wales, and the King and Queen in the wake of his stepping back from royal duties. King Charles, who only found out about the duke and duchess's plans three days before they became public, is said to be happy to be able to spend more time with the Sussex family, but remains adamant that they will not be working royals. Harry and Meghan have not commented on their reasons for relocating to the UK.
