Cillian Murphy Teases ‘New Version’ of ‘Peaky Blinders’ Character in Movie (Exclusive)

In “Small Things Like These,” Cillian Murphy is a devoted father who uncovers disturbing secrets at the local convent, and his investigation leads to shocking truths about his own past. 

“Extra’s” Terri Seymour spoke to Cillian about the drama, as well as the highly anticipated “Peaky Blinders” movie.

Murphy wasn’t able to say too much about “Peaky Blinders,” but said it is definitely happening.

He added, "I can tell you we’ve got a great script and a great cast and an excellent director, so we’re all like ready to go.”

Murphy was very excited to revisit his character Thomas Shelby, noting, “It’s kind of emotional, you know what I mean? It’s been like 12 years since I started playing Tommy Shelby... It’s a big chunk of my life, and it’ll be interesting to play this new version of him, which I’m not going to tell you what it is.”

As for “Small Things Like This,” Cillian described it as “so compact and so seemingly simple, yet it’s so complex underneath the surface.”

The move is adapted from the Claire Keegan novel and produced by Cillian’s company. He shared, “I felt a great responsibility, trying to bring it to the screen, you know, trying to get it right so we really tried our best to kind of honor the book.”

In “Small Things Like This,” Cillian plays Bill Furlong, who he believes isn’t a “classical hero by any means.” He elaborated, “I think the reason he does what he does is because he’s going through this terrible emotional turmoil about his past, and I think he cares so deeply for his daughters and his wife and he’s kind of terrified for their future, but at the same time, he’s sort of having this moment of the catharsis or awakening… that everyone is feeling aware of something but no one is acknowledging what’s happening.”

Earlier this year, Cillian won Best Actor at the Oscars. “It’s no different for me. I went straight to work after March and we made a film and then I went on holiday and now I’m talking to you guys,” he said. “I feel like I’m doing the same thing as I did at the beginning of the year.”