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 dicky 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.
Last time you spoke to GQ you mentioned the difficulties of small talk with Robert De Niro, what was small talk like with Tim Roth on Broken?
There weren't any difficulties with small talk with Robert De Niro, he sets the pace you go. If you're sitting here with Robert De Niro and he doesn't want to talk I'm not going to fill it, that was the dynamic. If he chats, he chats. He's a lovely, charming sweet man. He's not interested in small talk. He'll talk about the important things. He'll talk about food and he may volunteer an anecdote or two, he's not going to fill it talking about the weather or his favourite football team.
In contrast, what's Tim Roth like?
We've become good pals. He was a hero of mine growing up. He had a big influence on me in terms of his fearlessness and power as an actor. We really clicked making that film.
What did you make of the violence in Peaky Blinders when you read the script?
I always think you need to approach sex and violence in scripts in a way where you look at why it's being used. What is the point of this? Tell the point and consequences of this. I think that Tommy realises that these things are unpleasant but that they need to happen in order for him to succeed and achieve his ultimate goal. It can be stylised and made to look beautiful, but it needs to have a consequence and have a reason.
The soundtrack is great and you're a huge music fan. What's your stereo system like?
Pretty nice speakers, a pretty average turntable which I need to upgrade. I have a nice streaming system around the house, I like to mix the digital and the analogue. I left vinyl alone for a long time but now we've just got it out of the attic, and my kids love the ritual of putting on a record as well. They are understanding that thing that you just don't pull it from the cloud, it exists in a physical form. I love old records, but the thing with Spotify and iTunes is that you don't own them, you just have access to them. They exist somewhere, but you don't have ownership of them. It's great for sharing and discovering music - I've discovered so much music online, a lot of obscure music that as a teenager I would have died to get my hands on. Now I can just click and it's there. I think it's important to mix it up and still buy the tangible thing.
Who were the last band you saw that impressed you?
I'm going to see them tonight, actually. This band called Money, from Manchester.
You made a music video for them, who else would you like to make a music video for?
That's a great question! There are so many bands; it's such a hard question. If any cool bands read this and want me to direct a video, I'll be happy to do it.
Which band would you like to see reform?
I think most bands break up now in order to reform. I think most bands I'd want to see reform can't because some of them are dead. I would have liked to have seen that Led Zeppelin gig at the O2 a few years ago, that would've been amazing. I'm glad that they haven't done it since. I went to see Blur's final farewell concert in Hyde Park - they've played like f***ing 12 more concerts since then!
What do you look for in a watch?
I have an Omega because they put the first watch on the moon. If it can go to the moon, that's good enough for me - it should last a few years. I quite like old school, classical things.
What's the strangest gift you've received from a fan?
Someone gave me a tin of peas once, because in the film Intermission I throw a tin of peas at the manager and it knocks him out, so this woman gave me a tin of peas.
What's your abiding memory of winning an award at GQ Men of the Year in 2006?
It was a great craic. I was hanging out with Graham Norton. He's a top man and it was a really good night.
Who's your best dressed British man?
I like the way bands dress. Damon Albarn always looks pretty good to me.
How do you want to be remembered?
Well, I suppose. It's not for me judge, but if a film is important to one person that'd be fine.
You seem to shy away from an overt "celebrity" lifestyle, why is that?
It's just I'm not very good at it. Other people have a facility for it, but I'm not very interested in it. I'm just a bit shit at it. I realised that early on that I aspire to be good at my craft, so that's what I focus on. The less people know about you, it seems to be me to more likely you'll be able to convince them you're someone else on screen. It seems obvious, doesn't it?
Peaky Blinders airs on BBC Two at 9pm on 12 September.
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this flawless man <333