Meghan Markle's Hollywood comeback was thrust back into the spotlight this week as royal commentator Kinsey Schofield questioned whether the Duchess of Sussex's reported 'multimillion-dollar deal with Netflix' has really delivered, after reports that she was in early talks for a role in Guy Ritchie's series The Gentlemen.
Meghan Markle was reportedly in early discussions to appear in a potential third season of The Gentlemen on Netflix, which has not yet been officially renewed.
Reports suggest the Duchess was being considered for the London-set Guy Ritchie drama, although no role had been confirmed and discussions remained at a very early stage.
Hollywood Comeback Tied to 'Favour' Theory
The discussion intensified after TalkTV presenter Peter Cardwell invited Kinsey Schofield onto his programme to unpack the latest twist in Meghan Markle's Hollywood comeback.
Cardwell asked Schofield about claims the former Suits actress was being considered for the as-yet unconfirmed third series of The Gentlemen, which stars Theo James and Kaya Scodelario.
Schofield argued on air that the opportunity, if it materialised, may have less to do with Meghan Markle being in high demand and more to do with Guy Ritchie's personal sympathies towards Prince Harry. She framed it bluntly as a possible act of kindness rooted in the memory of Princess Diana.
'I still look at a casting like this and think it's Guy Ritchie honoring Princess Diana's legacy, doing these two a favor,' she said. 'Because if Meghan Markle were so hot when it comes to Hollywood, she lived an hour from there!'
"SAVAGE!"
— Talk (@TalkTV) August 21, 2026
Peter Cardwell and Kinsey Schofield deliver a crafty assessment on Meghan Markle's potential return to acting in The Gentlemen.@petercardwell | @kinseyschofield pic.twitter.com/zsQdzinllO
Schofield then questioned why, in her view, Meghan has taken on so few scripted acting jobs since relocating to California.
'Why didn't she pursue any opportunities besides playing herself in this new movie with Jack Quaid and Lily Collins? That's really the only acting she's done since she's returned to the United States.'
Her critique zeroed in on the couple's much-discussed Netflix partnership. 'You have this multimillion-dollar deal with Netflix, and it takes you six years to secure something substantial?' she asked, suggesting that a prestige scripted role arriving now looks less like the natural progression of a flourishing career and more like a one-off assist.
'It sounds like Guy Ritchie doing them a favor, and he would be doing that favor again, I think, because of Guy Ritchie's appreciation for the Royal Family,' Schofield added.
However, Schofield's reference to a six-year Netflix deal requires context. Harry and Meghan signed their original five-year production agreement with Netflix in 2020, reportedly worth about $100 million (£74 million).
In 2025, the partnership shifted to a new multi-year first-look agreement rather than continuing under the same terms. IBTimes UK cannot independently verify the reported negotiations around The Gentlemen.
Neither Netflix nor Meghan's representatives publicly confirmed that she had been cast in a third season.
What the Netflix Talks Really Mean
For starters, reports of 'preliminary conversations' over Meghan Markle joining The Gentlemen underscore how uncertain this supposed Hollywood comeback still is. Initial reports said discussions remained at an early stage, while the series itself has not yet been officially renewed by Netflix for a third run. No character, storyline or shooting timetable was publicly confirmed.
In other words, this was never a signed-and-sealed return to acting based on the initial reporting. It represented the earliest stage of a possibility. In the current streaming landscape, plenty of these early discussions never make it anywhere near a call sheet.
Yet the mere idea of Meghan Markle stepping into a Guy Ritchie crime universe has been enough to reignite the running debate over what she and Prince Harry have actually delivered since signing their original lucrative Netflix agreement.
Schofield's criticism lands on that sore spot, asking why a 'multimillion-dollar deal with Netflix' has not translated into more scripted projects.
Supporters of the Duchess would argue that the deal has already produced several high-profile unscripted projects, including the Harry & Meghan docuseries and With Love, Meghan, and that taking time to choose the right acting vehicle is hardly a crime.
Critics, like Schofield, counter that for someone who once lived within easy reach of Hollywood casting directors, the gap between hype and output looks odd. Neither argument establishes why Meghan has taken relatively few acting roles.
Still, perception matters in Hollywood. The more commentators describe any future role in The Gentlemen as a favour to Prince Harry, the harder it becomes for Meghan Markle's Hollywood comeback to be seen as driven by creative merit rather than royal cachet. That is the sting in Schofield's analysis.
Meghan Markle Keeps One Foot in Television With MasterChef Cameo
In case you missed it, Meghan Markle has not completely disappeared from screens while those bigger negotiations play out. She recently appeared as a surprise guest judge on MasterChef Australia, using the episode to talk about her love of food and cooking.
Her guest spot aired on 26 July, with Meghan setting contestants a challenge centred on seasonal ingredients and personal food stories.
It was a relatively low-stakes way to keep her television presence alive, far removed from the pressure of anchoring a whole drama series, but it reminded viewers she is still comfortable in front of the cameras.
That MasterChef cameo sits alongside her return to acting in the upcoming Amazon MGM comedy Close Personal Friends, in which she appears as herself alongside a cast that includes Jack Quaid, Lily Collins, Brie Larson and Henry Golding.
Schofield dismissed it as the only acting Meghan has undertaken since moving back to the United States. The cameo marked Meghan's first acting role in about eight years.
For those who expected an immediate flood of new roles once she left royal duty, the pace has felt slow.
The bigger question is what kind of Hollywood career Meghan Markle actually wants. A supporting role in a stylised Guy Ritchie series like The Gentlemen would be a sharp tonal shift from Suits and from her more earnest documentary work.
It would also place her more directly within Netflix's scripted drama output, rather than leaving her orbiting on the factual and personality-driven edge.
Whether that shift happens remains uncertain, starting with Netflix deciding the future of The Gentlemen and then determining whether there is a natural space for Meghan within its world of aristocratic crime and country-house drug empires.
Until then, her relationship with Netflix will continue to be both her biggest trump card and the easiest stick for commentators to beat her with.
