''I'm contractually obliged to have it'': Star Cillian Murphy hated his Peaky Blinders haircut, despite it being a hit among his fans

Cillian Murphy brought a new wave in men's fashion with his Peaky Blinders haircut, sported by his character Tommy Shelby. The Birmingham leader, featured in Steven Knight's 2013 gangster crime series, donned an undercut, which became a hit among the young male fans.

However, despite the show and the haircut's popularity, Murphy was not a fan of the hairstyle, as he revealed to the Belfast Telegraph:

"I was alarmed by the haircut, I have to admit, but I'm contractually obliged to have it."

Cillian Murphy, who usually keeps his hair long, was not a fan of his character's haircut in Peaky Blinders. The actor was initially alarmed by its popularity, but it never really grew on him, as he discussed with Vulture:

"I’ve gotten more tolerant of the haircut over the years. And bizarrely, it’s become a desirable cut amongst the fashionistas, which is staggering to me. It’s one more sign of how the show has infiltrated the mainstream culture."

Still, nobody can deny the haircut's popularity and the wave it brought in men's fashion.

More on this in our story.

What is the Peaky Blinders haircut, and how did it become a hit among the fans?

While many TV shows have influenced women's fashion in the last decade, men's fashion has seldom seen such popularity and influence.

However, Cillian Murphy's 2013 gangster drama changed that after the Peaky Blinders haircut took the men's fashion world by storm and young male fans of the show flocked to their barber shops, asking for the Tommy Shelby haircut.

The hairstyle got momentum when Netflix US acquired the rights for the show from BBC One and premiered the drama for the American audience in 2014. From a small Irish production, Peaky Blinders became a global and cultural phenomenon, with a renewed interest in fine tailoring among young men.

In addition to the dapper Peaky ensemble, the Shelby Brothers' hairstyle, also known as the disconnected undercut, was particularly intriguing. While Tommy Shelby sported slight variations of the haircut throughout the seasons, it is largely an aggressively disconnected hairstyle.

The Peaky Blinders haircut is the style where the back and sides of the head are clipped extremely short (almost to the skin), leaving a longer crop of tousled hair on the top to be styled in any way. While Arthur Shelby's longer crop is middle-parted, Tommy Shelby's hair is either unkempt or neatly combed sideways.

Is the Peaky Blinders haircut historically accurate?

Peaky Blinders haircut was undeniably charming (especially on Cillian Murphy) and unlike anything witnessed in the gangster genre before. Was it historically accurate, though? The answer is yes.

Steven Knight might have taken many creative liberties for his show, but the Peaky Blinders ensemble and their haircuts were pretty historically accurate and were close to how petty criminals and gangsters styled themselves during the early 20th century.

Originating in interwar Glasgow, the disconnected undercut was popular among young working-class men before it was associated with street gangs. This was the preferred haircut, as longer hair put them at a disadvantage during street fights.

In addition to the Peaky Blinders haircut, the show was also historically accurate about the Peaky's fashion, especially their flat caps. An important part of clothing among the real-life gang, however, the concealed razor was a creative liberty on Knight's part.

Even while Murphy had his doubts about the Shelby haircut, it is still one of the most popular in men's fashion, and fans are excited to see what variation the character will sport in the upcoming film, The Immortal Man.

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