Jason Statham was robbed of the lead role in Peaky Blinders by Cillian Murphy. But how can this be explained? During the live broadcast on Esquire of the season 5 finale, Steven Knight the showrunner of the series, made some confidences. Indeed, he confided that Jason Statham was originally supposed to embody the leader of the Birmingham gang. So Cillian Murphy wasn't the priority.
"I met with them both in Los Angeles to discuss the role," Knight said. "My choice was Jason first."
One of the main reasons for choosing Jason is that "physically when he's in a room, Jason is Jason." In addition, the latter had made strong impressions in Guy Ritchie's films for his role as a British gangster.
Cillian Murphy: an extraordinary actor
However, Jason was not retained for two reasons. On the one hand, he was busy on other projects that took up a lot of his time. But above all, Steven Knight has discovered another side of Cillian Murphy. Indeed, he says that:
"Cillian, when you meet him, it's of course not Tommy Shelby. But I was stupid enough not to understand one thing… After we met, he texted me that read, "Don't forget, I'm an actor." Which is totally the case because it can transform completely. If you meet him on the street, he will be a completely different person (from his roles)."
If Cillian Murphy had not sent him a message, he would surely not have become the person we necessarily associate with the iconic character of the series, Tommy Shelby. Fans of the character will be able to find him in the sixth season of Peaky Blinders which has not yet been announced. The first 5 seasons are available on Netflix. Cillian Murphy will soon be back in the cinema since he plays in Without a noise 2, which will be released on September 9. Recently, he starred in Luc Besson's Anna.
