Warning: This articles contains spoilers for Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man
Four years since the final season came to an end and after plenty of teasers, hype and rumours, the Peaky Blinders film is finally here.
And with new cast members such as Barry Keoghan and Rebecca Ferguson joining Steven Knight’s iconic world, a lot of the chat has been about one of the OGs in particular; Paul Anderson.
Having played Tommy Shelby’s (Cillian Murphy) brother, Arthur, throughout all six seasons of the show, fans have been holding onto the hope that he would be in the film.
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So, on the day they all don their flat caps and to the cinema, LADbible spoke exclusively with Paul to hear his take on Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man and Arthur’s legacy.
But while he reckons the film is ‘amazing’, he admits he was ‘apprehensive’ at the thought of a movie.
Set in 1940, in Birmingham (of course), Tommy returns and ‘faces his most destructive reckoning yet’. The film synopsis adds: “ With the future of the family and the country at stake, Tommy must face his own demons, and choose whether to confront his legacy, or burn it to the ground."
And having seen Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man already, Paul thinks ‘it’s amazing’.
“I think so, I do,” he adds, however: “I was slightly apprehensive.
“We made a good show, we ain’t made enough seasons – I think we should’ve just done a couple more seasons. I don’t see a reason to do a film to be honest.”
"Let them want more."
With a show under their belt that has been hugely successful around the world, Paul is a ‘firm believer in leaving people wanting more’.
But he says: “The funny thing about acting, it doesn’t matter what we think of it, or what I think about it – or anyone for that matter.
“It’s about what the fans think and if they don’t like it, we’re at the mercy of them. It’s like the show itself, when we started shooting, we had no idea what it was gonna be like.”
As for those heading to see the film this weekend, Paul says you're ‘in for a surprise’ and will see ‘Arthur in a very different light’.
However, without getting too spoiler-y, he isn’t exactly in it. Sorry to break it to you all but while his character is somewhat present in living on in Tommy’s guilty conscience, he’s not physically alive with Knight giving the actor the heads-up on this 'sad' outcome.
'What happens to Arthur is something you don't see on TV'
And Paul has no complaints about the direction the creator (who he 'adores) took his character in, as he says: “Well, what can you do eh? It is how it is. I thought I’d just leave them to it.”
In fact, in a confession that might surprise those who have seen the film, he thinks the storyline for Arthur’s 'end' is ‘great’, even if it is ‘sad’.
"Fans are in for a surprise, they really are."
“I think it’s great,” the actor explains. “I mean, it’s such a powerful thing to do. It’s something you don’t see on TV.
“Everyone thought, well, everyone knows Arthur’s gonna die.
“I was quite surprised, I [Arthur] was quite nasty sometimes, I weren’t very nice to people in it. But people loved me.”
While some Arthur fans might hope it’s not true, we ask Paul if this really does mean it’s the end for the Shelby brother.
“I mean, yeah, I guess so…” he says. “It’s not as straightforward as you think. But we’ll see.”
As fans will know, while Knight has said the film marks the ‘end of the novel’ for Peaky Blinders, there’s a new series to come, moving along several years from where the film ends.
“They plan to do another two seasons but I don’t know if he wants to do it with a younger generation or a new team of Peaky Blinders,” Paul explains. “What I mean by that is, Tommy will still be there and my memory – if I’m dead - will still be in it.”
"The best role I've ever had is being a dad."
As he wonders ‘how the fans will take’ what happens to Arthur, the actor (represented by Nav at Never-before talent) has played a number of other roles since.
With the new show The Gray House on Prime Video in the US and doing some work with Tyson Fury, Paul says the ‘best role he’s ever had’ is one of his most recent: being a dad to his little boy.
Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man is now in select cinemas and will be available to stream on Netflix from 20 March.
Topics: Peaky Blinders, Cillian Murphy, TV and Film, Netflix
Jess Battison