In this video, we learn the strict rules that the ‘Peaky Blinders’ cast follow, to bring us the authentic story of a gangster family between WWI and WWII. Most of those rules were created by showrunner Steven Knight.

Firstly… the Birmingham accent was one of the most important skills required from the cast, and some actors failed to land a role because of their inability to talk like a Brummie. In this area, Cillian Murphy, aka Tommy Shelby, got some help from Knight himself, while co-star Helen McCrory watched endless videos of Ozzy Osbourne to master the brogue.

Then there’s cigarettes. ‘Peaky Blinders’ set are filled with smoke given that, for the characters, cigarettes are part of the lifestyle. Fortunately though, none of the ‘Peaky Blinders’ cast ruined their lungs, as they used nicotine-free cigs.

Next? “Cut your hair and grow your moustache”. Today, the ‘Peaky Blinders’ haircut has become almost as popular as ‘Friends’ character Rachel Green’s coif once was, even though Cillian Murphy initially hated it.

Then there’s method, method, method… The ‘Peaky Blinders’ cast are required to live in the skin of their characters for each series’ entire filming, which can be emotionally exhausting.

Speaking of mental and emotional stamina… those come next. The cast have to deploy such resilience constantly, as the show is brutally violent – so much so that Helen McCrory, aka Polly Gray, can’t watch it.

Period- and class-appropriate skills? Yep, those are part of the rules, too. To prepare for his role in ‘Peaky Blinders’, Murphy had to work out, learned to ride a horse and lowered his voice, while McCrory consulted illusionist David Blaine, and mastered walking with a gun in her stocking.

Finally… while ‘Peaky Blinders’ has many famous admirers who’d like to join the cast, so far, showrunner Knight has resisted huge celebs from appearing in the show. That said, he has reportedly changed his opinion… so we might just see star cameos in ‘Peaky Blinders’ Season 6.

View the original video here.

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