Daniel Ings has confirmed he will not return as Freddy Horniman in the third season of Netflix's The Gentlemen. The actor, who played the disaster-prone character for two seasons, said his exit brings a "fun sense of closure."
Exit Confirmed Ahead of Season Three
Ings, 40, portrayed the troubled older brother of Eddie, played by Theo James, in the Guy Ritchie comedy-drama. He told HATC Magazine: "I'm not in the next one." He added that he sees it as closure for the character, who "just ends as this wild, broken, crazy" figure, possibly "mumbling into the ether somewhere in the British countryside."
Despite stepping back, Ings expressed no bitterness about the show's direction. He described being part of the production as a "great experience" and "a lot of fun."
Character Changes and Ritchie's Direction
Reflecting on his role, Ings said: "I absolutely loved playing Freddy. When that storyline was presented to me for series two, he was written almost as a completely different character." He explained that Guy Ritchie wanted to move away from the humour, telling him on the first day of filming the second series: "We went too far with the humour; we got to pull it back."
The news follows reports that Trainspotting actor Robert Carlyle has joined the cast for series three. A source said: "The Gentlemen is going from strength to strength, and everyone is desperate to make it work." They added: "Robert is an industry icon and Theo himself made it clear he wanted him to be part of the show."
Meghan Speculation and Netflix Response
The upcoming series has also faced controversy over reports that Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was in talks to make a full-time return to acting on the programme. When asked about the speculation, Guy Ritchie reportedly responded: "Really?" A source told The Sun that the 58-year-old ruled out any future appearances by Meghan, saying: "Not a chance."
In response, friends of the Duchess claimed she had been "used" by Netflix. A source told The Telegraph: "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 [series]." The source added: "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."
Netflix denied the claims, with an insider telling The Times: "This is not a show in need of stunt casting."
