Post by polaris on Sept 9, 2013 22:01:05 GMT -5
Somewhat reminiscent of a Brummie Boardwalk Empire, Peaky Blinders sees Cillian Murphy play Tommy Shelby, the head honcho of a Twenties Birmingham gang with a dress sense as sharp as the razor blades sewn into the peak of their caps. Sitting in London's gloomy BFI building, the former GQ Man Of The Year Murphy is unsurprisingly considerably more charismatic than the explosively violent character he portrays. Ahead of Peaky Blinders' debut on BBC 2 later this week, Murphy talks Omega watches, stereo systems and small talk with Tim Roth.
GQ: It's great to see a strong British series that can compete with what the U.S is putting out. What do you think about British television right now?
Cillian Murphy: America has definitely set the bar and those shows are just extraordinary. I love the show Southcliffe on Channel 4, The Fall is a great show too. It's just a golden age for telly, it really is. I think it's [now] more of a crossover in terms of the talent and the technical people [from movies to TV]. You see now that directors, writers and actors are moving between the two very seamlessly and very smoothly. I think it's also been influenced by the way people are viewing because of the way technology has evolved. I hope that it's a positive thing. I wonder whether certain films like Leaving Las Vegas would get made now. Would they get the funding for that movie? It's tough and those mid-budget, intelligent movies are being squeezed out. They are obviously exceptions of great, clever, mainstream films being made as well. To get really deep into character, television seems to be the medium.
How involved were you in your character's costume?
You always need to put your stamp on a character, but we were clear from the beginning that they had to be sartorially distinctive. They don't have that much money, but the money that they do they spend on their clobber. Little things like Tommy wears the collar but without the tie, while some of the others wear a tie or a d*¢ky bow. Every actor can really find a character through the costume.
What's been your biggest style mistake?
I like to keep it simple. I'm more a classic guy. Good pair of jeans, good t-shirt, good belt. I stick with the things that work. Probably in my teenage years I made a few errors. When I was acting in a play in the West End I was wearing a knee-length woolly jumper and I got asked if I needed shelter for the evening.
Read more: www.gq-magazine.co.uk/entertainment/articles/2013-09/09/cillian-murphy-peaky-blinders-interview-bbc-two
