‘Peaky Blinders’: Cillian Murphy Opens Up About Season 6 and the End of an Era

Cillian Murphy, an Irish actor who plays Tommy Shelby, the head of the Peaky Blinders gang in a crime drama Peaky Blinders, shared his thoughts on the upcoming and final season 6. The series is created by Steven Knight and is set in 1900s England, centering on a gang who sew razor blades in the peaks of their caps. Peaky Blinders first debuted in September 2013 and become a huge success – partly so due to Murphy himself and his incredible portrayal of Tommy Shelby.

In the interview for The Guardian, Murphy commented the final season, saying it “feels like the end of something”, but at the same time, he says he doesn’t have “a grasp on it yet”, as he is still unaware this is the final chapter of the story he was living for 10 years:

“It feels like the end of something. It’s strange talking about it. I don’t have a grasp on it yet. Maybe when it’s done I’ll have some perspective. It’s the end of 10 years of my life; a big adventure with lots of colleagues and people that you became very close to.“

Despite his love for the series, Murphy did admit that it was “f**king exhausting,” to become Tommy, a process which included perfecting the Birmingham accent, gym sessions and about 3,000 fake herbal cigarettes per season. His performance was praised by all of his colleagues, including Joe Cole who admitted he quit the show partly because it was “Cillian’s show, really”. The director himself sees Murphy’s performance as “phenomenal” and believes he “inhabits the role completely” and that it is “impossible to imagine anybody else playing him.”

The Peaky Blinders season 6 is set to release on February 27 on BBC One.