Cillian Murphy has revealed he appreciates how Peaky Blinders writer Steven Knight has kept the late actress Helen McCrory’s memory alive in the new spin-off film.
The late actress played Shelby family matriarch Polly Gray in the hit BBC drama for five seasons from when it started in 2013 until her death in 2021 at the age of 52.
The award-winning show ended following the sixth series in 2022 but will soon return with its spin-off film, The Immortal Man.
Cillian, who plays ruthless gangster Tommy Shelby, the leader of the violent crime gang the Peaky Blinders and Polly’s nephew, said he appreciated how Knight had included nods to Helen’s character after her death.
“I love the way Steve has kept her memory and her character’s memory alive throughout this – particularly in series six and the film,” he told LADbible. “She was one of the greatest human beings and one of the greatest actors that I’ve ever encountered. She was a dear friend. It was a massive loss, a huge loss for everybody.”
The film will see Shelby driven back from his self-imposed exile amid the chaos of the Second World War, and will explore the relationship between him and the illegitimate son he abandoned, Erasmus ‘Duke’ Shelby, played by Irish actor Barry Keoghan.
© BBC/Caryn Mandabach Productions Ltd./Robert ViglaskyHelen sadly died from cancer in April 2021. At the time, Cillian said: “I am broken-hearted to lose such a dear friend. Helen was a beautiful, caring, funny, compassionate human being. She was also a gifted actor – fearless and magnificent. She elevated and made humane every scene, every character she played.
“It was a privilege to have worked with this brilliant woman, to have shared so many laughs over the years. I will dearly miss my pal. My love and thoughts are with Damian and her family.”
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