Peaky Blinders wrapped its decade-long television run earlier this year with the much-anticipated sixth and final season. Cillian Murphy, as always, delivers another brilliant performance as gangster turned politician Tommy Shelby in a season that sees him fight his most challenging adversary yet – himself.
In a recent interview with Deadline, Cillian Murphy discussed his nearly 10-year commitment to playing Tommy Shelby and what it’s like to finally take a break now that Peaky Blinders has concluded. Although a feature film follow-up in place of the planned seventh season will happen in the future. Murphy, who also serves as an executive producer on Peaky Blinders, first addressed season 6 and whether it hit all the right notes.
"I was very happy with the quality of the writing, particularly with that last finale — it was just excellently directed and conceived and performed by everybody. I do have to pay tribute to our crew. It was like the height of the second lockdown in the UK. It was insane the conditions we were working under, and they were just amazing. I’m very, very proud of it."
And as for Tommy Shelby’s redemption, Murphy leaves it to the viewers to decide if the character has achieved it or not.
"I always felt that was one for the court of public opinion. I could not really say whether people felt that themselves, the audience, because I just needed to play the truth of what the story was and where the character found himself. That whole thing about redemption, it’s so kind of subjective really, isn’t it?"
Cillian Murphy’s turn as Tommy Shelby has brought him worldwide acclaim, and the character is often compared to the all-time greats Tony Soprano, Walter White, and Don Draper. Talking about the Peaky Blinders fame and the opportunity to play a demanding yet complex character like Tommy Shelby, Murphy said:
"I feel just hugely, hugely grateful for it. I still can’t believe it’s been almost a decade of my life. I think I encountered some of the greatest writing I’ve ever encountered on that show for sure; some of the greatest actors I’ve ever encountered. I never thought I’d get to play a character that would last a decade and be able to go so deep and have such rich material. And then, to pretty much make it as we wanted to make it. You know, on our own terms and then all the musicians that became involved, all the great directors that became involved over the years."
Cillian Murphy Will Return As Tommy Shelby In The Peaky Blinders Movie
While Peaky Blinders season 6 wrapped up the main storyline in incredible fashion as the Shelby crime family finally avenged the death of Polly Gray (Helen McCrory) and flushed out the traitors within the family, there is still more to come. As satisfying as the finale was, the fascists and the Boston mafia are still out there, and the Shelbys will have to regroup again for one final battle.
That will likely be the plot of the Peaky Blinders movie currently in the works by creator Steven Knight. The entire Peaky Blinders cast is expected to reprise their roles in the film. There is currently no word on the film’s release date, and Murphy has no idea either, but he promises that he'll return as Tommy Shelby.
Peaky Blinders season 6 had a long, troubled journey to reach the TV screens amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the untimely demise of Helen McCrory. After numerous delays, Peaky Blinders season 6 finally debuted in February this year, and all six episodes will stream on Netflix from June 10. Directed by Anthony Byrne, Peaky Blinders season 6 stars Tom Hardy, Paul Anderson, Finn Cole, Anya Taylor-Joy, Sam Claffin, Sophie Rundle, Stephen Graham, and James Frecheville.