Why Tommy Shelby Never Eats In Peaky Blinders, Explained By Cillian Murphy
Peaky Blinders actor Cillian Murphy explains why his character, Tommy Shelby, is never seen eating over the course of the series. Peaky Blinders sees the Irish actor play the protagonist and head of the Shelby crime family, joined by series regulars Annabelle Wallis (Malignant), Paul Anderson, Sophie Rundle, Joe Cole, Finn Cole, and the late Helen McCrory (Harry Potter). Several famed actors also feature in recurring roles throughout the show, including Sam Neill, Tom Hardy, Adrien Brody, Aidan Gillen, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Sam Claflin.
Created by British filmmaker Steven Knight (Locke) and set in the city of Birmingham, England, Peaky Blinders revolves around the exploits of the Peaky Blinders crime organization in the immediate aftermath of the First World War. The fictional group is roughly based on the real urban youth gang of the same name who sewed razor blades into the peaks of their caps and operated in the city from the 1890s to the 1910s. The series has obtained an enormous fanbase since it first premiered in 2013.
Related: Peaky Blinders Season 6 Cast Guide: All New & Returning Characters
Now, in a recent interview with BBC Radio 1's Ali Plumb, Murphy explains why his Peaky Blinders character is never seen consuming any food throughout the show. He reveals that he wasn't aware that Tommy had never eaten onscreen until after making Peaky Blinders seasons 1 & 2, which gave him and Knight the idea to go ahead with it and turn it into a "running gag." Murphy also states that playing the character "for so long" afforded him and the showrunners with the "luxury" to add such details. Check out his full quote below:
I remember, we'd got through the first two series, and then realized that Tommy has never eaten, we've
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