Peaky Blinders icon Cillian Murphy: “I do believe in generational trauma, I also believe it can be stopped”

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Tommy Shelby has been in our heads for 13 years, but even longer in Cillian Murphy’s.

I remember when I first really noticed Tommy Shelby. It was back in September 2013, when “Peaky Blinders” started and he made this incredible entrance – riding a black horse through the streets of Small Heath, which was set in 1919. It instantly grabbed my attention!

I’m sitting here with Cillian Murphy, and he told me the story of how he first encountered the script for this film months ago. He said when he opened Steven Knight’s writing and read the character of Shelby, he immediately knew it was a truly special, once-in-a-lifetime role.

Murphy immediately felt a connection to the project. He recalls reading the opening scene, where the character rides into Birmingham, and being struck by its powerful, almost silent, western-style imagery. He describes it as instantly memorable and remarkably confident, and knew right away he wanted to be involved.

Murphy described working on Peaky Blinders as being like a motorbike trip. He explained that while Tommy Shelby (the character) was in control, making all the decisions and driving, Murphy felt like a passenger simply trusting Shelby’s lead. He quickly transitioned into a more passive role, letting the character guide the story.

He wonders if it’s normal to become so completely immersed in a role. He says he’s never experienced that level of connection with any other character. It’s about letting go and allowing something to change within you. He explains that preparing for the role previously took months of work, and he wasn’t sure he could do it again. But once he started, he found his rhythm, and with each season, the character became more and more a part of him – a truly unusual feeling.

It feels like this chapter is wrapping up. Cillian Murphy describes conversations with director Steve Knight about how to finish their project, The Immortal Man – a Peaky Blinders feature film starring Murphy, who also helps produce it. Murphy explains they have a unique working relationship, praising Knight’s incredible talent: “Whatever idea I suggest, he always improves it immensely.” Does that ever get frustrating? “Not at all, it’s fantastic!”

Most people expect the movie to give Shelby a chance to make up for his past mistakes, and he definitely has a lot to answer for.

“Steve has always said that Tommy is a good man doing bad things to a good end,” says Murphy.

Even without counting German soldiers, Shelby has killed approximately 15 people and authorized many more deaths. For a large part of the story, he operates a consistently criminal enterprise. According to Murphy, this doesn’t make him unlikeable. “People are drawn to flawed characters,” she explains. “It’s more compelling to watch someone you should despise but can’t, than a simple hero or villain.”

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After playing such a complex character for thirteen years, does Cillian Murphy find himself more understanding of difficult people in real life? He acknowledges it’s easy to say that would be the case, but points to a growing trend of division and labeling in society. He observes that people quickly categorize others as ‘bad,’ and this starts young. While it’s challenging when someone threatens you or your values, Murphy believes it’s important to remember the humanity behind every person, even those who seem like villains or criminals.

And that’s exactly what Michael Knight consistently did. He’d receive the scripts for each new season and immediately feel excited, thinking, ‘Let’s do this!’ Because as Peaky Blinders developed, it became increasingly ambitious and confident. The show’s world expanded, becoming richer in detail, and it wasn’t afraid to explore more complex and unsettling themes.

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The film shows Shelby isolated in what’s left of his family home, deeply troubled by recent events and the death of his seven-year-old daughter, Ruby, who passed away from tuberculosis in a previous season. As he writes his life story – hoping to make sense of everything and titled ‘The Immortal Man’ – he receives a visit from Kaulo, the Romany aunt of his son, Duke. She tries to help him heal through a spiritual séance.

According to Murphy, his character, Tommy, doesn’t trust doctors, modern medicine, or really any mainstream institutions. He’s far more drawn to a more mystical, almost Romani-inspired form of magic. When asked if Murphy himself has experienced magic, he says not in a traditional, supernatural way, but definitely through his work as an actor. He describes moments where a performance just clicks – everyone feels a special energy, but it’s impossible to explain, almost like a transcendent experience.

The scenes between Tommy and Duke, played by Barry Keoghan, highlight their shared pain – one stemming from the trauma of war, the other from growing up without a father. Cillian Murphy notes the film explores generational trauma, and the responsibility to break the cycle. However, he believes Tommy is unable to do so, as he ultimately fails to connect with his own son.

Born in Cork, Murphy dismisses the idea that his and Keoghan’s Irish heritage is particularly important to their work. He jokes that it ‘probably helps’ to have a bit of a rebellious streak, a common stereotype. While incredibly proud of his Irish background, Murphy admits that when he was starting out, he actively avoided being typecast. He wanted to be seen as simply an actor, capable of playing any role, rather than being limited by his Irish identity. He preferred to take on diverse roles – American, English, anything – without feeling constrained by his origins.

Cillian Murphy’s career peaked in 2024 when he accepted the Best Actor Oscar for Oppenheimer from Brendan Fraser at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. He describes the entire awards season as surreal, saying it felt like an out-of-body experience – almost unreal and dreamlike. Even now, he says it feels distant from reality, like something that didn’t actually happen.

Peaky Blinders quickly became more than just a BBC drama; it was a global hit. As Cillian Murphy explains, its connection with audiences was something no one involved could have predicted.

  • Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man review – Big screen spin-off keeps a firm red right hand on proceedings
  • Peaky Blinders star breaks silence on major character absence from The Immortal Man film: “It’s something you don’t see on TV”
  • Steven Knight explains how Peaky Blinders film ended up quite different from his initial plans

Authors

Michael Hodges

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2026-03-14 16:07