He may have opened the gates of his prized estate to the cast of The Gentlemen.
But Guy Ritchie made sure he was safely ensconced in a nearby hotel while his stars took over the sprawling property.
The 57-year-old director handed over his 1,134-acre Ashcombe Estate in Wiltshire to film a lavish hunting party for the first episode of the second series of his Netflix crime drama.
But when asked what was happening on his land when the cameras stopped rolling, Ritchie admitted he had deliberately kept his distance.
Speaking at the show’s world premiere in London on Wednesday, he said: ‘I don’t know what they’re planning. I think it’s for the best, I don’t know.
‘I went and stayed in someone else’s gaff. I was staying at the local hotel.”
Ritchie, 57, opened the gates of his prized estate to the cast of The Gentlemen
(From left to right) Ray Winstone, Theo James, Kaya Scodelario and Ritchie
And according to lead actor Theo James, Ritchie may have been wise to keep his distance.
The actor, 41, who returns as aristocrat and drug lord Eddie Horniman, revealed the production became significantly more unruly when filming later moved to Italy.
Describing the spectacle of the huge British contingent entering the country, he said: ‘In Italy, 200 Brits are just going crazy.’
Kaya Scodelario, 34, who plays criminal empire boss Susie Glass, then suggested some members of the production barely lasted a week before getting into trouble.
“Some of them were deported a week later!” she joked.
The cast lifted the chaos during a question and answer session in Guildhall’s medieval Great Hall before guests watched the opening episode under the hall’s high roof and Gothic windows.
Outside, Guildhall Yard had been transformed into a mock estate in tribute to Ritchie’s world of guns, gangsters and gentry.
Guests walked across a green carpet past manicured topiaries and wrought-iron gates, while attendants dressed in flat caps, vests and wellington boots stood with hounds next to a gleaming two-tone vintage convertible.
However, few locations can offer a more authentic glimpse into that world than Ritchie’s own estate.
The filmmaker has spent more than twenty years transforming Ashcombe into an extensive playground, complete with pheasant, partridge and clay pigeon shooting, fishing ponds and luxury accommodation.
There’s even a microbrewery that produces its own Gritchie beer, in addition to a bar and dining options.
Georgian Ashcombe House, a former home of society photographer Cecil Beaton, was bought by Ritchie and his then wife Madonna in 2001 for a reported £9 million.
Ritchie has spent more than twenty years transforming Ashcombe into an extensive playground, complete with pheasant, partridge and clay pigeon shooting, fishing ponds and luxury accommodation.
Madonna once described the estate during the summer as “the most beautiful place in the world,” but Ritchie kept it when their eight-year marriage ended in 2008.
He now divides his time between Ashcombe and London with his second wife, model Jacqui Ainsley, and their family.
The property remains a working farm and family home, surrounded by over 1,100 hectares of rolling chalk land near Salisbury.
But it has also become one of the country’s most exclusive sports retreats, hosting famous friends like David Beckham and Robert Downey Jr. who previously joined Ritchie for shooting parties there.
The grounds and sporting lake are now featured in The Gentlemen and are the setting for a hunting meeting attended by the wealthy landowners and power brokers in the first episode.
The second series extends the Glass family’s criminal operation far beyond the gates of the fictional Halstead Manor, with the action moving from England to the shores of Lake Maggiore in northern Italy.
Kaya revealed that the overseas storyline also involved an upgrade to Susie’s wardrobe, with her character “dressed from head to toe in Dolce & Gabbana” while in Italy.
Also attending Wednesday’s premiere were Ray Winstone, Vinnie Jones, Joely Richardson, Hugh Bonneville, Giancarlo Esposito, Michele Morrone, Maya Jama and Chris Eubank Jr. present.
Ritchie was joined by Jacqui, 44, and his 26-year-old son Rocco, who he shares with Madonna.
After the screening, the cast descended on the red-lit medieval crypts beneath Guildhall, where they continued to party until the early hours.
All eight episodes of The Gentlemen series two are now available on Netflix.
