British acting legend Tim Roth talks his twisted new Peaky Blinders villain – and compares modern issues to the National Front he witnessed in his youth

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With the new Peaky Blinders film, The Immortal Man, coming to Netflix this week, we chatted with renowned British actor Tim Roth about his part as John Beckett – a character who sides with the Nazis during World War II.

I immediately envisioned the character as a kind, unassuming geography teacher. Playing him as a villain would immediately raise suspicion, so he needed to appear reasonable and helpful – someone with a good idea who just needs assistance. I felt this approach was fitting because fascism is often subtle and insidious. It’s a terrible force that creeps up on people, and you often don’t realize its danger until it’s already taken hold.

Steven Knight said the fascist elements in the film have contemporary echoes, do you agree?

It feels especially relevant now. It reminds me of growing up in London during the time of the National Front. I went to school in Brixton and was involved with a group called Students Against the Nazis, and I experienced a lot of violence because of it. The people protesting today seem very similar. When I recently visited England, I walked past a demonstration led by Tommy Robinson, and it felt eerily familiar, like the stories my father used to tell me about World War II.

My father likely experienced PTSD, stemming from significant trauma. The character I’m portraying is, in a way, inspired by him – someone he might have opposed in his life. As an actor, you naturally draw on your own feelings to bring a role to life when it feels appropriate.

Beckett fits a pattern of complex villains seen in previous Roth works, similar to characters like Archibald Cunningham from ‘Rob Roy’ and John Christie from ‘Rillington Place’. Do you enjoy stories with compelling antagonists?

It’s funny – if I play a villain, I seem to get offered a lot more similar roles. Honestly, I don’t mind! When people ask what motivates me as an actor, I usually joke that it’s just the fear of being out of work – that’s a very British attitude, I think. There are the jobs you take to pay the bills, and then there are the projects you do for yourself, even if they don’t get a lot of attention. And I’m perfectly happy with that.

You were a young tyro once, starring in Made in Britain at age 21. How is Barry doing?

He’s more experienced than I was at that point. I was completely new to being on camera when I started working on ‘Made in Britain.’ Back then, a lot of the actors I met came from privileged backgrounds, and I felt intimidated by them and self-conscious about not having a formal education or university degree.

Looking back, accent work was a much bigger deal in the industry when I was starting out – it feels like that emphasis has faded. I really learned on the job, doing small television plays. I was lucky enough to work with Emma Thompson early on, and later Stephen Fry, and those experiences completely changed my perspective. I realized a lot of my preconceived notions about how people should sound were just… wrong. That’s part of the job, isn’t it? Constantly learning and challenging your own assumptions.

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Authors

Michael Hodges

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2026-03-16 20:34