Cillian Murphy's Persuasive Text Landed Him Iconic Peaky Blinders Role
Acclaimed actor Cillian Murphy and Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight have shared fascinating details about their first encounter, where Murphy actively campaigned for the legendary role of Tommy Shelby. The pair appeared on BBC Breakfast with host Charlie Stayt to promote the new film Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, but conversation naturally turned to their enduring professional partnership and how the iconic character came to life.
The Fateful Meeting That Started It All
When asked about their long history together, Knight recalled: "I suppose before, when did we shoot the first series? 2012? I remember we had a cup of tea and it was lovely and just after Cillian texted and said, 'Remember I'm an actor.' In other words, the person you just met isn't Tommy Shelby, the person I will become is Tommy Shelby. And that's exactly what happened."
Murphy elaborated on his strategic follow-up message: "Little did I know it would make such a good story for interviews. It's true because I wasn't the obvious casting for the part. They're tricky those interviews slash audition meetings because you're never going to be able to demonstrate you're able to do it and I loved the script so much but there was a bit of a leap so I wanted to reinforce to them that I would work really hard on it."
Behind the Scenes of The Immortal Man
In a surprising revelation, Knight disclosed that Murphy had actually already secured the Tommy Shelby role before their initial meeting, though the actor remained unaware of this fact at the time. Murphy reflected: "I really like the idea of a challenge and the transformative nature of acting so I was just trying to reassure them I could do it."
The new film features a particularly dramatic sequence where Tommy Shelby confronts a rearing stallion, with Murphy performing his own stunts rather than relying on a stunt double. Knight expressed amazement at the scene: "There is a scene in the film where Tommy Shelby confronts a rearing stallion and it's for real and it's not a stuntman, it's you. The fact that you stand there like that, I know a bit about horses, that is quite incredible."
Murphy described the challenging filming conditions: "There's an amazing sequence and it's brilliantly written and it happens in this mortuary and there's all these horses around and there's gunfire so all the horses get spooked. We have these amazing horse wranglers but they wanted the huge stallion to rear up and come down and Tommy speaks to him and calms him down. We did it all for real but he got pretty close."
Where to Watch The Immortal Man
Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man is currently showing in cinemas nationwide and will become available for streaming on Netflix starting March 20, giving fans multiple opportunities to experience Tommy Shelby's latest chapter.
