Cillian Murphy has explained why it's bittersweet rewatching Peaky Blinders ahead of the release of the movie on his character Tommy Shelby.
The Oscar-winning star has been rewatching the BBC period drama created by Steven Knight since becoming an executive producer on it.
"Since I started producing – I was a producer on Peaky – you kind of have to," Murphy told GQ. "It kind of takes the curse off of it. It was very nice watching it, because it was actually quite a good show."
Related: First look at Cillian Murphy in Netflix's Peaky Blinders movie
Despite appreciating rewatching the series, Murphy also said it's "heartbreaking" to revisit after star Helen McCrory, who played Polly, died in 2021.
"A little bit," Murphy replied when asked if he is able to "distance [himself]" from the show.
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"It was also quite heartbreaking, because I was watching Helen McCrory, and we lost her.
"But you can distance yourself from it, and look at and say, 'Right, that's the atmosphere we want. That's the look we need, that's the silhouette, and that's the energy we need from it.' We need to turn it up for the movie, obviously."
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Coming to Netflix, the Peaky Blinders movie is a continuation of the TV series set during World War II. The film is written by Knight and helmed by Tom Harper, who also directed some episodes of the first season of the show.
Alongside Murphy, original stars Stephen Graham, Sophie Rundle, Ned Dennehy, Packy Lee and Ian Peck are reprising their roles from the show, opposite newcomers including Rebecca Ferguson and Barry Keoghan.
Peaky Blinders is available to stream on BBC iPlayer and Netflix. The Peaky Blinders movie does not yet have a release date.
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Reporter, Digital Spy
Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy.
Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).
