Academy-winning actor Cillian Murphy has become synonymous with his flawless portrayal of Tommy Shelby, the cold and calculating gang leader in Steven Knight's Peaky Blinders.Tommy Shelby is now considered one of the most nuanced anti-heroes who silently carries the weight of his troubled past in France and the responsibility of his Shelby family on his shoulders. The world witnessed Tommy Shelby's struggles and moral ambiguity throughout the six seasons of Peaky Blinders on-screen but Cillian Murphy was also struggling behind the scenes. Like his fictional character, Murphy carried an equal weight on his shoulders to justify Tommy Shelby's character on-screen and bring his layered personality to life.While the character was difficult to portray on-screen, Murphy essentially struggled with his smoking addiction, which he revealed to Birmingham Live:"I've smoked so many fake cigarettes for Peaky...''The actor revealed how production used nicotine-free herbal cigarettes in the show but he was fed up with all the smoking.More on Tommy's smoking addiction in Peaky Blinders in our story.Peaky Blinders: Bringing Tommy Shelby's smoking addiction to life View this post on Instagram Instagram PostWhile Murphy was flawless in his portrayal of the Birmingham gangster, he particularly struggled with his character's worst habit, ie, smoking. Set in post-war Birmingham, Peaky Blinders heavily features Tommy Shelby smoking. Interestingly, the character is rarely shown eating on-screen, suggesting that he literally survives on alcohol and cigarettes alone.In a 2019 interview with Birmingham Live, Murphy was alarmed to hear the number of cigarettes he smoked in each Peaky Blinders season:"I asked the prop guys to count how many we use during a series and it's 3,000.''Considering Knight's series ran for a total of six seasons, the cast smoked approximately 18,000 herbal cigarettes throughout the series. While the cast used herbal cigarettes, Murphy has revealed how he was fed up with smoking, since he is a non-smoker in real life.Reflecting on Tommy's smoking addiction, Cillian Murphy added:“I don’t smoke but people did smoke all day and night then. I use herbal rose things, they’re like my five a day!''Peaky Blinders: The emotional weight of playing Tommy Shelby on-screen View this post on Instagram Instagram PostIn addition to Tommy Shelby's frustrating habit of smoking in Peaky Blinders, Murphy struggled with the character's darkness. A typical day in Tommy's life was equal to many lifetimes, which is why Murphy felt 'destroyed' after filming for the series.Breaking down the emotional and physical toll this character had on his psyche, Murphy added:“The nature of the character is immersive. It’s an incredibly exhausting character to play. Tommy is always on, he never seems to sleep or eat. You have to leave reality behind for four months. I always come out it destroyed but having felt like we have made something.''Coincidentally, Murphy's journey of playing dark characters was far from over, as after Tommy Shelby, he played another and equally complicated character in Christopher Nolan's biographical film Oppenheimer. While the movie won him an Academy Award, the lead character of J. Robert Oppenheimer was also a heavy smoker like Tommy Shelby.After playing two dark and physically exhausting characters on-screen, Murphy even pledged to stay away from roles that would require him to smoke on-screen. In an interview with The Guardian, he said:"My next character will not be a smoker. They can’t be good for you. Even herbal cigarettes have health warnings now.”However, destiny had other plans as the world was not done with Tommy Shelby yet. Four years after its conclusion, Murphy will return in the upcoming sequel movie Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, scheduled for an early 2026 release.For the latest scoops on your favorite TV shows and movies, follow SoapCentral.