Cillian Murphy's Peaky Blinders Role Almost Went To A Fast And Furious Star
Cillian Murphy has become somewhat synonymous with the series "Peaky Blinders," the BBC/Netflix series about a street gang in England just after the First World War led by the cunning crime boss Tommy Shelby (Murphy). Created by Steven Knight, the series has permeated the general pop culture landscape so deeply that even those who have never watched a single episode can identify it thanks to Murphy and the instantly recognizable flat caps.
"Peaky Blinders" won the BAFTA Television Award for Best Drama Series in 2018, and Murphy has taken home multiple awards for his performance through the Irish Film and Television Awards, TV Choice Awards, and the National Television Awards. At this point, it's hard to imagine anyone else in the role of Tommy Shelby, but in a different timeline, that's exactly what would have happened.
As it turns out, Knight initially had considered Jason Statham for the role of Tommy Shelby, and it wasn't until Murphy made a compelling case for himself that Knight reconsidered. During an interview with Esquire, Knight said, "I met them both in LA to talk about the role and opted for Jason." Knight said he preferred Statham because he's got a much more intimidating physical presence. Statham has about three inches of height on Murphy, and he's also a guy cast in movies where he fights sharks the size of a school bus compared to Murphy's panicky weirdos.
Even Murphy was aware of Knight's hesitation, telling The Guardian, "There was a bit of convincing needed. Initially, there may have been some doubts about whether I had the requisite physicality, which I understand. I'm not the most physically imposing individual." But as Knight confirmed in the Esquire interview, Murphy got him rethinking after sending him a text that simply read, "Remember, I'm an actor."
Every day he's hustling
Jason Statham, no matter the role, looks like a badass. He's got a gruff demeanor and a face that says, "Yeah, I believably look like a guy who would snap jumper cables to my tongue and turn on a car battery." Meanwhile, Cillian Murphy has been both an emaciated survivor of the zombie apocalypse in "28 Days Later" and a waif-ish transgender woman named Kitten in "Breakfast on Pluto." But the thing about Tommy Shelby is that he isn't a wall of brute force — he's a mastermind who manipulates his surroundings and capitalizes on people's trust. At least, that's how he came to be with Murphy in the role. Had Statham gotten the job, the character would have been completely different.
In the Esquire interview, Knight said that the text from Murphy inspired his change of heart. "[That] is absolutely the thing, because he can transform himself," he said. And that's one of Murphy's greatest strengths as an actor. Yes, he's been these characters who don't appear physically imposing, but he's also been an absolute menace in films like "Red Eye" and even "Batman Begins." This isn't to say that Statham couldn't have made a good Tommy Shelby, but he would have been a completely different Tommy Shelby than the one we got.
And hey, not playing Tommy Shelby opened Statham up to join the "Fast and Furious" franchise. Everybody wins!