Cillian Murphy Says Playing Thomas Shelby Has Been a “Big Chunk” of His Life

A decade, six seasons, and 36 episodes later, Cillian Murphy is saying goodbye to Thomas Shelby of the Peaky Blinders.

In an interview with EW, the 46-year-old actor opened up about growing up with this character and trying to keep his moral compass aside while portraying him, among other things.

Murphy shared that Thomas Shelby stood out in his myriad roles in the past decade for the sole reason of having a character grow up with him.

The critically acclaimed Peaky Blinders (which earned its reputation through pure word-of-mouth), gave him an iconic role to call his own and experience the journey of a lifetime.

“We started shooting this in 2012, so when it comes out, that will be a decade, so it’s a big chapter of my life, a big chunk of my life. In between, I did lots of other things but I’ve never had that experience of growing older with a character or being able to inhabit it to a point where the character starts thinking for you in the performance…”

Murphy added that the years spent with the character eventually seep into muscle memory. The power dynamics change, in a way, with it now working more effortlessly.

“That (character starting to think for you in the performance) happens toward, certainly Series 4, 5, and 6, it was definitely the character was in control of the vehicle, if you know what I mean. That’s amazing, I’ve never had that experience before.”

Peaky Blinders plays a lot with close-up shots. As the lead actor, Murphy’s pale skin, serious expressions, and glaring eyes have repeatedly showcased his talent in immortalizing an iconic character.

Murphy talked about the importance of the close-up scenes becoming an important language of the show, too.

“We wanted to try and get inside Tommy’s head if possible, to be really really close to his experience, and then that became the language of the show.”

Meanwhile, the actor remained hopeful about the Peaky Blinders movie that creator Steven Knight is planning. He shared that he thinks “there is more life” in the character and the show.

About Peaky Blinders

Peaky Blinders is a British period crime drama television series created by Steven Knight. Set in Birmingham, England, the series follows the exploits of the Shelby crime family and their leader Thomas Shelby (Cillian Murphy) in the direct aftermath of the First World War.

The fictional family is loosely based on a real urban youth gang of the same name, active in the city from the 1890s to the early 20th century. It stars Cillian Murphy, Sam Claflin, Aidan Gillen, Helen McCrory, Paul Anderson, Finn Cole, and Tom Hardy

Netflix, under a deal with Weinstein Company and Endemol, acquired the rights to release the show in the United States and around the world. In January 2021, it was announced that the sixth series would be the last, followed by a spin-off film. The final series was broadcast in 2022.

News Source: EW