After five seasons of Peaky Blinders, imagining anyone else as Tommy Shelby is very difficult. Cillian Murphy and Tommy Shelby are synonymous now. It is very hard to digest that anyone else could dare to play Tommy on-screen except Cillian. But surprisingly Cillian was not the first choice for the role.
Creator of Peaky Blinder series Steven Knight reveals the inside story. He confesses that Cillian Murphy was not his first choice as Tommy Shelby. Steven Knight told Esquire magazine that ‘I met them both in LA to talk about the role and opted for Jason,’.He explains why he decided Jason over Cillian. He added that‘One of the reasons was because physically in the room Jason is Jason.’
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Why did Steven change his Decision?
Steven revealed what caused him to change his mind. He said ‘Cillian, when you meet him, isn’t Tommy, obviously, but I was stupid enough not to understand that.’ He continued: ‘Afterwards, he sent me a text saying, “Remember, I’m an actor.” ‘Which is absolutely the thing because he can transform himself. If you meet him in the street he is a totally different human being.’
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Well, Steven’s decision worked best for Peaky Blinders. Who else could play the ruthless and audacious Tommy Shelby better than Cillian? The Shelby family would have been truly incomplete without Cillian’s Tommy. A Peaky Blinders without Cillian would surely be half as interesting.