(Credits: Netflix)

You think you know Thomas Shelby from Peaky Blinders or The Immortal Man? Perhaps not any better than the man who brought the character to life on the BBC series, followed by the Netflix movie, Cillian Murphy.

It would be preposterous to claim that Tommy’s character put Murphy on the map, since his cinematic magic goes way back in time. But can anyone truly deny that the name, personality, and virtue have become synonymous with the Oscar-winner?

While it’s easy to assume that we probably know everything that makes Tommy Shelby who he is after six illustrious seasons of Peaky Blinders and now The Immortal Man, Murphy, himself, would like to disagree.

So, if you think you know the Shelby by heart, here are five Tommy facts from Peaky Blinders and The Immortal Man to make you think otherwise.

Five Tommy Shelby facts that you probably had no clue about

Polly Grey was the most important person for Thomas Shelby

Family has always been central to the Shelby clan, and it is the women in the family who shaped his perspectives on power, femininity, love, and even family, for that matter of fact. But if Cillian Murphy had to choose on behalf of Thomas Shelby, it would undoubtedly be his aunt, Polly Grey. In a conversation on Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man podcast, Murphy described Polly as the “conduit to the whole gypsy world.”

Since Polly and Tommy’s age gap is not that distant, the dynamic they develop is “brilliantly complex.” So, there’s no denying that Polly is indeed “everything” for him.

Tommy’s first priority was the women of the family, not the men

Nothing comes before family for the Shelbys. Yet, according to Cillian Murphy on the podcast, it is always the women in the Shelby clan who come first to him, not the men. “He would take Ada and Polly over Arthur and John any day,” he says. While the Oscar-winner called him a “twisted feminist,” he also clarified that Tommy couldn’t care less about gender.

To him, it is always about the smartest person in the room, which usually happens to be women in his life. What also adds to the appeal is the contrast of emotions between women and Tommy, which is why he always feels the need to remain connected to emotions, perhaps to ensure he’s grounded.

Thomas fell prey to depression

Things haven’t been easy for Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man. In fact, when we meet him, he’s completely lost, unable to win the fight against himself. As the actor puts it, Tommy is at a “liminal state between living and dying,” and there are several factors influencing his situation, including World War I, the lack of a father figure, and losing his mother while still young.

“What happens to you in childhood happens to you forever,” the Steve star explains. Then there’s the aspect that Tommy is now a father, and his own traumas are now bleeding out in a way that impacts the idea of fatherhood for Duke. To add to that, there’s Ruby’s death that keeps haunting him, and then there’s Arthur’s death, which Murphy believes to be the real reason behind Tommy’s retreat from the world.

Tommy was reserved about Duke’s inheritance

When the Peaky legacy is passed on to Duke at the end of The Immortal Man, Cillian Murphy thinks Tommy views it as a combination of “inheritance, punishment, and salvation” for his son. In fact, he points out that Tommy whispers in his ears, “Heavy lies the crown.” What he probably means by that, Murphy explains, is possibly “This is what you want, but believe me, it’s not going to give you any peace.”

The intention behind his book

The intention behind Tommy Shelby’s book was wrapped in ambiguity. However, the Oppenheimer actor believes it was meant to be passed on to his sons, serving as a guide of what not to do. So, in a way, the moralistic evolution of Tommy’s character, from his World War I exposure to his rising through the ranks of British society, could supposedly be a cautionary tale to his sons, an experience of life passed on to another.