By Sarah Mills
(Reuters) – Cast from Guy Ritchie’s new TV show said fans of the director’s work will not be disappointed with his series “The Gentlemen,” which had its London premiere on Tuesday.
“The White Lotus” actor Theo James stars in the crime drama as Eddie Horniman, who is busy working in the army when his father dies and he inherits his family’s country estate, which turns out to be concealing a cannabis business.
But as Eddie tries to extricate the family from criminality, he gets seduced by the crime, violence and power.
James, who described Ritchie as a “seminal figure” in the British film industry, said working with him was both great and “nerve racking.”
“You don’t necessarily know what you’re going to be doing most days, but there’s a joy in that collaboration because as (Ritchie) said, as long as you have people in the room who are up for collaboration, then you can really create stuff on the fly,” he said.
Ritchie made his name in 1998 with the crime comedy “Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels,” and other movies he has since directed include “Sherlock Holmes” and “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.”
Speaking about making the eight-part “The Gentlemen” series, Ritchie said it allowed his “characters to breathe and develop” in a way that “just can’t happen” in a film.
Reflecting on the plot, American actor Giancarlo Esposito, who plays a billionaire keen on buying the family mansion, said Ritchie has “placed the ideals of family — the family of criminals and the aristocratic family — together.”
“All those values get muddled when you’re talking about money and survival. I find it really fascinating how he’s set it all up,” Esposito said.
Joely Richardson plays Eddie’s mum, Lady Sabrina, while at the heart of the criminal gang are Bobby Glass (Ray Winstone) and his daughter Susie (Kaya Scodelario).
Winstone said that if audiences like a Guy Ritchie film, then this new series fits the mould, while Scodelario said it “checks every box of the Guy Ritchie universe.”
As well as the cast from the show, Ritchie was joined at the premiere by his wife, Jacqui Ainsley, and guests including former footballer David Beckham and actor Jason Statham.
“The Gentlemen” is due to hit streaming platform Netflix from Thursday.
(Reporting by Sarah Mills; Editing by Leslie Adler)
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