Netflix allegedly used the “oldest marketing trick” by leaking information about Meghan Markle‘s potential involvement in the third season of the TV series The Gentlemen. Earlier this year, some reports claimed the Duchess would return to acting with a role in the show’s third season. However, the claims quickly became doubtful.
Meghan Markle ‘used’ by Netflix to promote ‘The Gentlemen’ amid casting rumors, source claims
An October 17 report from The Telegraph revealed that sources close to Meghan Markle have alleged that Netflix “used” Markle to promote The Gentlemen. A source told the outlet, “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.”
“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 insider continued. “The whole thing left a bit of a sour taste in the Sussex camp’s mouth. Needless to say, Netflix got what it wanted: huge viewing figures for season two and a lot of publicity,” they added.
Another source close to Markle confirmed that she is no longer in talks to appear in the crime drama series. The first episode of Gentlemen Season 2 hit screens in early September, shortly after news of Markle’s involvement broke out. She moved back to the UK with her husband, Prince Harry, and their kids, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, in late August, sparking widespread buzz.
Markle, best known for her role as Rachel Zane in Suits, took a break from acting in 2017, a year after she met Prince Harry. The Telegraph reported that she is seriously considering a return to acting. Allegedly, she is reading scripts “cautiously” to ensure that no news leaks to the press. She is also keeping the details to herself rather than telling her friends or anyone in the wider circle.
