Cillian Murphy has been revealed he lived with Romany gypsies while preparing for his role in new BBC drama Peaky Blinders.
The actor revealed he hung out with gypsies in order to learn what life would have been like for them. Speaking about his experience, Murphy said, 'Steve Knight, the creator of the show, took me to Birmingham, where he's from, to meet his buddies so I could record their accents. I spent time with Romany gypsies. I learnt about extreme poverty.
A revolution was taking place in the city. At the same time, these young men were returning from the war (WWI), damaged. They were spat back into society and expected somehow to get on with their lives.'
The show is based on Thomas Shelby, the leader of the infamous and ruthless Birmingham gang the Peaky Blinders. The name of the gang was derived from their practice of sewing razor blades into the peaks of their caps. The gang were well known for making money from illegal betting, protection and the black market. The show follows them as they battle with Communist revolutionaries, IRA Fenians and a ruthless new police chief. We for one can't wait to see it.
This will mark Murphy's first major television role, despite having starred in numerous hit movies the actor revealed that television gave him the chance to develop his character better then in film. 'You can sense when there's quality happening in a certain medium. You see a lot of actors migrating to telly because of that broad canvas. And in 'Peaky Blinders', there's so much to explore and you can go so deep,' he said.
Sam Neill, Helen McCrory, Paul Anderson, Joe Cole and Iddo Goldberg all star alongside Murphy in the new drama. Peaky Blinders starts next Thursday 12th September on BBC 2 at 9pm. Check out the preview clip below.
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