Downton Abbey’s Hugh Bonneville ‘gets spicy’ in The Gentlemen season 2

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Downton Abbey fans are going to be in for quite a shock when they see the respectable Earl of Grantham in The Gentlemen season 2.

At least, that’s what Susie Glass actress Kaya Scodelario promised while speaking to Metro, revealing that her co-star Hugh Bonneville ‘gets spicy’ in his latest role.

This week marks the return of Guy Ritchie’s explosive Netflix hit, which stars Theo James as Eddie Horniman, a soldier-turned-duke who becomes embroiled in the sketchy world of the weed business.

In season one, Eddie reluctantly began working with Susie, who’d been secretly running her weed farm on his late father’s estate. As time went on, Eddie discovered that he had both a taste and a talent for the murky criminal underworld, revealing a dark streak lurking underneath his debonair surface.

In the second outing, he and Susie seem to respect each other more as colleagues, but trust each other less as their business flourishes. On top of their complex dynamic, they also have new big personalities to contend with, including Hugh’s Lord Hawthorne, and the entrance of Maya Jama as Aisha.

With Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex rumoured to be in talks for a role in season three, Kaya emphasises that it’s ‘exciting’ when huge names join the cast.

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‘Especially if it’s an actor like Hugh Bonneville, who we respect so much, and we know that he’s such an incredible part of British television. He knows what he’s doing,’ the Skins star told us.

‘And then to see him in a role that’s completely unexpected – he’s really kind of playing against the Downton Abbey thing.’

Kaya, 34, continued: ‘It’s always exciting to know what someone’s going to bring to it, as long as they are respectful of the environment they’re in, and they come in and they want to work with us and they want to help make the show better, then it’s an absolute privilege to have everyone.’

In the trailer for The Gentlemen season two, fans caught a short glimpse of Hugh, 62, in action as Lord Hawthorne, watching fixedly as Susie’s brother, Jack (Harry Goodwins) downs an oyster.

The next scene shows him speaking privately to Eddie, telling the Duke: ‘I know what you’re up to. I’m being lubed in the hope that I might support your efforts to decriminalise marijuana.’

While speaking to Kaya and Benedetta Porcaroli, who plays newcomer Bella in the new season of The Gentlemen, I admitted that I enjoyed the idea of Downton fans having a shock over Hugh’s eccentric new character.

‘They are, absolutely. I can’t wait,’ Kaya answered. ‘He’s got spicy.’

The second season marks a big change for the thrilling crime drama, as Susie and Eddie take their business from a sprawling British manor to the beautiful scenery of sun-soaked Italian lakes.

This also meant the introduction of new Italian characters, including Benedetta as Bella, Michele Morrone as Cico Maldini, and Sergio Castellitto as Marco Moretti.

Benedetta, 28, said that it was a ‘great honour’ to work with the creator Guy, calling him a ‘great director’.

‘Getting the chance to work with a director like him who knows the job, who you can really trust. I was like the smallest and the last part of this enormous machine, but I had so much fun, and it was so beautiful for me to have the chance to join them, to be a part of it,’ she shared.

‘It was really fun to have the Italians this time around because that brought a very different thread to the first couple of episodes, especially,’ Kaya added.

‘We’ve got Benny, we’ve got Michele. We’ve got all these incredible Italian actors that came in and just gave us a completely new flavour.’

One of the reasons why The Gentlemen became such a hit with season one was the show’s ability to shock its audience. Eddie went from being a morally sound soldier to a man with monstrous ambition, who didn’t blink when shooting a man dead at point-blank range.

According to Kaya and Benedetta, season two takes things up an even higher notch.

‘I think we definitely heighten the stakes, especially with [Bella] coming in,’ Kaya said.

‘She really introduces this level of ambition for Eddie, and something that he really cherishes and wants to protect. What that does to him psychologically in the context of his relationship with Bobby (Ray Winstone) and Susie is really interesting. 

‘She has a very cool way of getting to show his different colours as well, and what his motivations are going to become.’

Benedetta added: ‘I think the whole dynamic – it’s richer. There are many layers. There are many characters doing different things, and I’m excited for the people to see.

‘Even my story, which is a little bit impossible to tell now. I’m excited in general because I think the project, the whole season, it’s really richer. They got inside and deeper in every character and everything is more developed.’

The Gentlemen season 2 premieres on Thursday September 3 on Netflix.

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