Theo James shrugged off rumors that Meghan Markle would be joining his Netflix series “The Gentlemen” for Season 3.
In a recent interview with Town & Country, the leading man was asked about the possibility of sharing the screen with an ex-royal for the upcoming season of the series.
“Yes, Fergie is joining. She’ll be playing my love interest,” James joked, referencing Prince Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.
“No, I think that was mainly a lot of hot air,” he followed up, addressing the Markle rumors more directly.
Markle and her husband Prince Harry moved their family back across the pond to the United Kingdom last month. There were reports that the move was timed to Markle’s return to acting. Deadline first reported that the former “Suits” star has been in early talks to join Season 3 of Guy Ritchie’s Netflix series.
James said that right now he was focused on getting as many people to watch the upcoming second season as possible, which premieres Thursday. (The Netflix series has already been renewed for a third season.)
“Season three will happen soon. But in terms of story, we have the overarching ambition of where we’re going to go. We’re going to expand the world, go to different countries. But in terms of the minutiae, I mean, it’s still very much up in the air,” he said.
The “Divergent” star related “The Gentlemen” Season 2 to the current state of entertainment and media and audiences’ fascination with wealth and power.
“We live now in a world of the tech oligarch, where headlines seem larger than life and can’t be true, but they end up being true,” James said. “People are fascinated by the idea of wealth and how wealth can corrupt people, ultimately. That’s what we’re interested in here.”
“With ‘The Gentlemen,’ and some British shows, there’s a romance to ex-colonial Britain, but it’s also tinged with all the f–ked-up s–t that we did as an empire,” he added. “So there’s a lot to be intrigued by, whether it’s consciously or subconsciously.”
“The Gentlemen” follows a soldier, played by James, who inherits his father’s massive estate and becomes the new Duke of Halstead only to learn his family has a massive weed farm hidden under their land. Season 2 picks up as Eddie (James) and Susie (Kaya Scodelario) team up and expand their criminal enterprise internationally into Italy.
“The Gentlemen” Season 2 premieres on Netflix on Thursday.
