The Irish actor Cillian Murphy has been proving how well of an actor he is, over the past few years. From his titular role in ‘Oppenheimer‘ to his character in ‘Batman Begins‘, the actor has been garnering praise from both experts and fans. However, the role of Tommy Shelby is one that made Cillian Murphy a renowned name.
Murphy did love his role as Shelby, but he had to build a whole new persona for ‘Peaky Blinders’ as the gang head. When the fans loved the nineteenth-century gang leader, the actor was a little resentful towards his role. Here is what Murphy thinks of his role as Tommy Shelby.
Cillian Murphy Was ‘Exhausted’ Playing Tommy Shelby
Transforming himself into a nineteenth-century persona Tommy Shelby, terrified by everyone who saw him, had been a great challenge to Cillian Murphy. He had to go just beyond his acting skills. He had to perfect the accent and style his dress and hair according to the time period.
The shooting had also been intense, stretching for long hours. “He’s exhausting to play. I think it’s because he’s so persistent. He also never appears to sleep. He never says fuck it and gives up. Tommy is a wonderful character, yet he wears me down. I’m completely exhausted,” the 47-year-old shared with The Guardian in 2016.
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Cillian Murphy Had Been Vegetarian For 15 Years
The acting and accent were not only the factors that made Cillian Murphy see his role as a challenge. He had to maintain the physique for the role. The crew did not want the actor to seem like a “skinny Irish fella“.
‘The Dark Knight’ actor had been a vegetarian but switched to meat for his role in ‘Peaky Blinders’. “I was vegetarian for about 15 years. But it was never a moral decision. It was more that I was worried about getting mad cow disease,” Murphy shared in an interview with Mr. Porter back in early 2017.
The actor also had to smoke a lot of herbal cigarettes throughout the series. And the number of cigarettes smoked would shock you. The number tolls to 3000 cigarettes per season.
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