Cillian Murphy has said his role in Peaky Blinders is one he will "never experience again", as he reflected on 13 years as the face of the popular crime drama.
The Cork-born actor fronted the award-winning series for almost a decade as ruthless gangster Tommy Shelby, the leader of violent crime gang the Peaky Blinders.
The series ended in 2022 but will return next week with its spin-off film The Immortal Man, which will see Shelby driven back from his self-imposed exile amid the chaos of the Second World War.
Speaking during a press conference, the 49-year-old actor said: "I feel really, really proud of the work. It’s nuts that it’s been so long. The end of 2012 is when we shot the original series.
"So many people have watched it, and it’s become so beloved, so I just feel immensely proud of it."
Murphy added: "I think the luxury of having played (Tommy Shelby) for so long is that all the research is kind of done, you know?
"You’ve got like 13 years there. You’ve lived it alongside him, and also you’ve kind of aged alongside him. It’s kind of unique.
"I’ll never experience that again, and it’s really unusual and gratifying to have that opportunity to play a character like that."
The upcoming film will also explore the relationship between Tommy Shelby and the illegitimate son he abandoned, Erasmus "Duke" Shelby, played by Irish actor Barry Keoghan.
Murphy said: "In order for us to conclude (the series) with a film, it needed to justify itself.
"Ultimately, that comes down to the script.
"The main sort of thematic drive of the show has always been family, if we continued with that and made it a father and son story and introduced Duke in that manner then we knew we were on the right track - and off we went."
Speaking about his character in the upcoming film, Murphy said: "When we meet him, (he) is kind of withdrawn from the world, and he’s dealing with his own personal stuff.
"But I think what setting the film against the backdrop of the war means that his values are being tested all the time.
"What do you actually believe in? What do you actually stand for, aside from illegal bookmaking and racketeering and making money and buying houses and abandoning children and abandoning wives, what do you actually stand for? And then he figures it out.
"And I think he begins - towards the end of the film - to really realise what he actually stands for."
The TV drama following Birmingham-based crime family the Shelbys was first launched on the BBC in 2013.
Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man will be available on Netflix from 20 March.
Source: Press Association
