No Peaky Blinders fan would see anyone in the role of Tommy Shelby other than Cillian Murphy. However, do you know that the creator of the popular gangster show, Steven Knight initially preferred Jason Statham for the lead role over Murphy? In a 2021 event related to the show, Knight made the startling revelation. The filmmaker once met both Statham and Murphy in Los Angeles. He revealed that Statham, the star of his film Hummingbird, was the frontrunner for the role. Knight found Statham more physically apt for the role as compared to Murphy. However, a text message from Murphy that read, “Remember, I am an actor,” Made Knight reconsider. The message reminded Knight of Murphy's transformative acting capability to fully embody Shelby's menace as well as his enigmatic and complex personality. 

Ultimately, Murphy's confidence in his acting chops landed him the character that would define his career for almost a decade. Subsequently, the actor, an Ireland native, changed his diet and perfected a Birmingham accent to fit the part. Murphy is set to reprise the role in the standalone Peaky Blinders film that Tom Harper is directing for Netflix. For the uninitiated, Harper is known for his work on the first season of the iconic Netflix series.