‘Peaky Blinders’ star Joe Cole on leaving series: “For me, it was a no brainer”

nme.com:

Peaky Blinders star Joe Cole has opened up about leaving the hit BBC show, which returned to screens last weekend (February 27).The actor played John Shelby in the show, brother of Tommy Shelby played by Cillian Murphy.

He held the role for three seasons before leaving in 2017.Speaking to Radio Times about leaving the show, Cole said he had no regrets.“In society we’re told to play by the rules and live your life in a certain way,” he began. “For me, it was a no-brainer.

I was missing out on some stuff, and I felt like I had exhausted this character.“People used to come up to me and go, ‘You’re that bloke from Peaky Blinders,’ but I’m thinking, ‘My best work is in other stuff.’ There’s more to me than this.”Since leaving the show, Cole has gone on to star in Gangs of London and new ITV spy drama series, The Ipcress File.Cillian Murphy recently opened up about the new season of Peaky Blinders saying that it will “honour” late actor Helen McCrory.McCrory, who played Polly Gray in the BBC series, died aged 52 from cancer in April last year – when filming on the sixth season had been halted due to the coronavirus pandemic.Murphy said he thinks the show’s latest season will be a “tribute” to her.He told Variety: “I think the whole series is really in tribute to her and to honour her.

Her presence and her character’s presence are very much still felt in the series, and it is very much part of Tommy’s journey in the season.“It’ll be different without her, you know.