Cillian Murphy has opened up about the difficulties of filming the final season of Peaky Blinders, following the death of his co-star and friend, Helen McCrory.
The actor says he and the rest of the cast were left “reeling”, and confessed he had a “very unpleasant shooting experience” after Helen, who played Aunt Polly, had to be written out of the BBC drama when she passed away from breast cancer last year.
In an interview with Esquire UK, the Tommy Shelby actor spoke of his close bond with Helen, describing her as “an absolutely magnificent person.”
“I’ve never lost anyone like that — who was young and a friend,” he told the magazine.
“It was very confusing. But she was magnificent. She was an absolutely magnificent person.
“We were just reeling throughout the whole thing. She was a dear, dear pal and she was the beating heart of that show, so it felt very strange being on set without her.
“The difficult thing to comprehend is that, if it wasn’t for Covid, there would be a whole other version of this show with Helen in it. But she was so private and so fucking brave and courageous.”
The Harry Potter star did not film any scenes as her iconic character in the sixth and final series of Peaky Blinders because she was undergoing treatment for cancer, before she tragically died later in the filming process.
Cillian continued: “She was inspirational. People throw that word around, but she genuinely was. Her values, the way she dealt with her kids and Damian [Lewis, her husband of 14 years]... She cares about everybody.
“She’s really funny and really cool, and she had this real warmth. She really cared. It’s just... I still can’t believe she’s not here. It doesn’t make sense.”
Filming for the last series of Peaky Blinders was brought to a standstill in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic and resumed in January 2021.
A spokeswoman told The Sun: “Helen did not film with us in series six but Polly is an ever-present part of the show.
“She is forever the matriarch of the Shelby family and her presence is always felt by Tommy and the rest of the family. Her influence is an integral part of the season.”
Helen played Polly Gray since the first series, which aired in 2013.
Following the Harry Potter star’s death, her husband Damian Lewis wrote on Twitter: “I’m heartbroken to announce that after a heroic battle with cancer... The beautiful and mighty woman that is Helen McCrory has died peacefully at home, surrounded by a wave of love from friends and family.
“She died as she lived. Fearlessly. God we love her and know how lucky we are to have had her in our lives. She blazed so brightly. Go now, Little One, into the air, and thank you.”
He later revealed his late wife had urged him to find love again just two weeks before her death.
Writing in The Sunday Times, the actor said Helen told him and their children, daughter Manon, 14, and son Gulliver, 13, that she wanted “Daddy to have lots of girlfriends”.
He wrote: “She has been utterly heroic in her illness. Funny, of course — generous, brave, uncomplaining, constantly reminding us all of how lucky we’ve been, how blessed we are.
“Her generosity has extended to encouraging us three to live. Live fully, take opportunities, have adventures.”
The broadcast date for the new series of Peaky Blinders is due to be unveiled this week.
Read the full interview with Cillian at www.esquire.com/uk/