Not Cillian Murphy, but this actor was the first choice to play Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders

Irish actor Cillian Murphy's breakthrough role as Tommy Shelby in Steven Knight's Peaky Blinders is one of the best gangster portrayals on the small screen. Proving that some actors are destined to play the part, Murphy's transformation into the Birmingham leader left the audience in awe of the actor's performance.

Murphy brought Knight's vision to life by capturing all the nuances of Tommy Shelby on screen. Even while playing an anti-hero, the actor was able to make the audiences love Tommy through the six seasons of the show.

While Tommy Shelby now looks like a part written for Cillian Murphy, it is astonishing to note how he was not Knight's first choice.

When Knight wrote the scripts of his crime drama, he chose English actor Jason Statham to play the protagonist. Statham is best known for his performances in Snatch, The Meg, The Expendables, Fast & Furious franchise, and more.

More on Cillian Murphy's casting in Peaky Blinders in our story.

Steven Knight initially chose Jason Statham for the role of Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders

While the character of Tommy Shelby has now become synonymous with Murphy, he was not Knight's first choice, as he once revealed in an interview with Esquire. Steven Knight had the complete vision for Peaky Blinders' six seasons and the character of Tommy Shelby mapped out, but he was confused between two actors.

As he recalled in the interview:

“I met them both in LA to talk about the role and opted for Jason...One of the reasons was because physically in the room Jason is Jason.''

While it might be surprising now but initially Knight could not imagine Murphy as Tommy Shelby, as he further added:

“Cillian, when you meet him, isn’t Tommy, obviously, but I was stupid enough not to understand that.”

Knight had almost opted for Statham when Murphy sent him the infamous text (‘Remember, I’m an actor’), and the rest is history. Murphy has also discussed in several interviews that he was blown away by Knight's script and the character of Tommy Shelby, which he was certainly not ready to lose.

He had sensed Knight's hesitation and had probably concluded that the lead role in Peaky Blinders would eventually go to Statham, which is why he sent the text that changed everything and forced Knight to reconsider his decision, which he discussed with Esquire:

“..This is absolutely the thing, because he can transform himself. If you meet him in the street he is a totally different human being.”

While Cillian was a well-established actor even before his role as Tommy Shelby, having been associated with projects like the Batman trilogy and 28 Days Later, his success after Peaky Blinders knew no bounds.

Murphy's portrayal of a Birmingham gang leader revolutionized the anti-hero gangster archetype in the crime genre. His Shelby ensemble—the three-piece suit, hairstyle, and peaked cap brought a new wave in pop culture, with more men opting to style themselves in polished old English looks.

Murphy's role as Tommy Shelby earned him a BAFTA nomination in the Best Actor category in 2023. He also won the Irish Film and Television Awards and National Television Awards in 2017 and 2022, respectively.

Cillian Murphy will reprise his role as Tommy Shelby in the upcoming feature film The Immortal Man and is also rumored to return in Peaky Blinders Season 7.

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