Joe Cole, who portrayed the mysterious John Shelby in Britain’s beloved TV series Peaky Blinders, revealed a heartbreaking truth about his time on the show.
Peaky Blinders, arguably one of the most adored TV shows of recent times had the nation on tenterhooks.
Over the course of the show’s nine-year run, from 2013 to 2022, fans were used to seeing certain characters on their screens, and Joe Cole’s impactful John Shelby was one of them. This isn’t the only popular gangster that Joe has portrayed on screen.
The star made a massive impact as titular gangster Sean Wallace in the wildly popular series Gangs of London. The show has now returned to Sky Atlantic and premiered at 9pm on March 20, bringing its third (dangerously, deliciously chaotic) season to viewers. Gangs of London will air weekly on Thursdays for the entirety of its 10-episode run, however fans can also binge the show in one sitting as a box set on Sky Atlantic or on the streaming service Now.
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Throughout the entire six-season run of Peaky Blinders, viewers watched as his aunt Polly Gray and Tommy Shelby, the head of the Shelby family, firmly established their standing among Birmingham’s gangs. Tommy began to delving into the murky waters of post-First World War politics as the years progressed, leading to disastrous outcomes and thrilling six seasons.
Joe Cole, 36, played Tommy Shelby while Cillian played Tommy Shelby in the role of his younger brother John. In the fourth episode of the critically acclaimed television series, Arthur (Paul Anderson) and Tommy’s younger brother were fatally shot by Italian assassins.
Joe, a key character in the hit British television series’ four seasons, revealed his reason for leaving the show in 2017, saying, “With Peaky Blinders, I never really got out of that role. Really, it’s Cillian’s show. Gangs of London is a more cohesive production that deeply follows the characters.
He continued, “I’ve turned down gang-related shows for the past few years because I get a lot of them when a show does well.” I actually made the decision to leave Peaky Blinders in order to discover new worlds, new characters, and new tales.
Joe stated in a separate interview with Radio Times that “you have to play by the rules and live your life in a certain way.” It was a no-brainer for me. Some things seemed to have expired on me, and I felt like I had given up on this person.
The British actor explained in more detail why he left the beloved show and said, “You’re that bloke from Peaky Blinders, you’re that bloke, but I’m thinking, “My best work is in other stuff. I’m more interested in this than this.
Peaky Blinders originally premiered on 12 September 2013 and was broadcast on BBC Two till its fourth season, following which it moved to BBC One for its fifth and sixth series. In a deal with The Weinstein Company and Endemol, Netflix acquired the rights to release the natively British show in the United States and around the world.
The title of Peaky Blinders, which was written and created by Steven Knight, was inspired by a Birmingham, England, real-life gang that had a presence after World War I. A feature-length film titled The Immortal Man, which ended in a somewhat make-of-it-what-you-will cliffhanger, is still in development.
Creator Steven Knight made a rare announcement that the movie will be available on Netflix in what could only be described as a bombshell announcement, and he called it “a fitting conclusion to the first chapter.”
Steven stated to The Playlist, “I just wanted to do it.” Even though I could pretend that this isn’t the main motivating factor, I really want the “Pepy” fans to be a big part of this, the way they found it. People simply discovered it and shared it with others, but it was never widely promoted.
Because of the virtual nature of the communication, which they have, I really want them to be watching this all together in one building. However, I do want to see this in theaters so that everyone can watch it happen together.
The Irish superstar, Cillian, earned praise from the writer, who said, “Cillian is the most down to earth, straightforward person, never-mind actor, and just human being you would ever meet. And when he was receiving his awards, he used to text me the day before, saying, “I can’t wait to be on the Peaky set.” In terms of actors, he is the leader.
Source: Mirror
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