“Needed to convince them”: When Cillian Murphy revealed he had to fight for the role of Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders

While Cillian Murphy was always known for his acting prowess, he achieved a new level of stardom with his portrayal of Tommy Shelby in the BBC crime drama series Peaky Blinders, which began in 2013.

The role, which also earned Murphy a BAFTA nomination in 2023 for Best Actor, was a turning point in the actor's career. The series has won numerous awards and accolades throughout its six-season run and will also conclude Tommy's story with a feature film in 2025.

Based on a real-life Birmingham gang from the 1880s, Steven Knight wrote the script for his crime series, but Murphy had to convince him for the role as he discussed with Entertainment Weekly once:

''I just needed to convince them that I could do it and I could work to become that physically imposing character.''

More on Cillian Murphy's portrayal of Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders in our story.

How Cillian Murphy landed the role of Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders?

Before Murphy received critical acclaim for his portrayal of J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan's biographical drama film, he starred in the BBC drama Peaky Blinders in 2013. Almost a decade later, the character has become synonymous with the actor, but it is still hard to believe that Murphy was not Knight's first choice to play Tommy Shelby.

Initially, Fast & Furious franchise fame Jason Statham was picked to play the role, but Murphy convinced Knight, and the rest is history.

After a decade, Murphy has become the epitome of a cold, calculating, and ruthless Birmingham gangster, but initially, it was challenging for the actor to envision himself in such a role.

Talking to Entertainment Weekly, Murphy talked about his initial hesitation:

''There was slight hesitation because I'd never really played that physically imposing sort of hyper-masculine type character. In fact, I'd probably played the opposite up to that point.''

However, Murphy had full faith in Knight's Peaky Blinders, and Tommy's character intrigued him. He further added how he was looking for an opportunity to try new things, and the fate perfectly aligned itself and he got to play Tommy:

''But I knew that it was such amazing material and I knew that it was a gift of a role...In this business it can be slightly reductive if you do one thing well once, the industry wants you to do that again and again and again...I've always tried to do the unexpected or play roles that are challenging so that you never get trapped in a career.''

Cillian Murphy brought life to a nuanced gangster in Peaky Blinders

While Murphy had history to draw his character of Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders from, very little is known about the real-life Birmingham gang the show is based on.

Still, Murphy's portrayal brought out all the shades of the character throughout the six seasons. Starting from a cold and calculative leader with limitless ambition in Peaky Blinders Season 1, Murphy soon introduced the layers of Tommy in consecutive seasons.

A war veteran suffering from PTSD, a husband mourning the death of his wife, a loving father wanting the best for his children, and a gangster unable to leave behind his violent past- Murphy perfectly mastered all the layers of Tommy's character and played it with utmost conviction for almost a decade.

Talking about his experience of playing Tommy Shelby, Murphy discussed with Entertainment Weekly:

''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.''

He added:

''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....the character was in control of the vehicle, if you know what I mean. That's amazing, I've never had that experience before.''

While Tommy's journey looked definitive in Season 6, Murphy will return as the enigmatic character again in The Immortal Man, a Peaky Blinders feature film.

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Also Read: I'm convinced Tom Hardy's Peaky Blinders role almost took the focus off Tommy Shelby at times

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