Cillian Murphy Smoked 3,000 Cigarettes for Peaky Blinders—But Not the Kind You Think!

When it comes to Peaky Blinders, one of the most striking features of the gritty, post-World War I world it depicts is the constant presence of cigarettes. From the moment Thomas Shelby (played by Cillian Murphy) lights up his first cigarette, it’s clear that smoking is as much a part of the show’s aesthetic as the sharp suits and the ominous Shelby gang. The characters seem to light up at every turn, creating a cinematic environment where cigarettes are almost as iconic as the characters themselves.

While it’s an essential part of the period drama’s setting, the amount of smoking on screen may be alarming to modern viewers, who are more aware of the health risks associated with tobacco. Thankfully, for the actors involved, the cigarettes in Peaky Blinders aren’t the real deal.

In an interview with Birmingham Live, Murphy, who plays the infamous Tommy Shelby, revealed the truth behind the on-screen smoking: “I don’t smoke but people did smoke all day and night then. I use herbal rose things, they’re like my five a day!” These herbal cigarettes, which are tobacco-free and made with rose petals, have been a staple on set throughout the show’s run.

In fact, Murphy took the initiative to ask the prop department to track how many of these fake cigarettes were used during filming. The number? A staggering 3,000. That’s 3,000 cigarettes puffed by the characters throughout the series, all without a trace of nicotine.

While the cigarettes weren’t harmful in the traditional sense, some members of the cast found the experience less than pleasant. Helen McCrory, who portrayed Polly Gray, admitted that the herbal cigarettes were far from a joy to smoke. She described them as having a “horrible” taste and revealed that the scent of them was often overpowering, comparing it to the smell of cannabis. Despite this, the actors soldiered on, committing to their roles in one of the most iconic period dramas on television.

The extensive use of cigarettes in Peaky Blinders is more than just a visual motif; it’s deeply tied to the show’s historical context. The series is set in the 1920s, a time when smoking was ubiquitous and largely seen as glamorous. At the time, the dangers of smoking weren’t widely known, with the link between smoking and cancer only becoming accepted in the 1960s. For the Shelbys, who had just returned from the horrors of World War I, smoking also functions as a coping mechanism—a way for them to deal with the trauma they’ve endured.

Though the cast didn’t smoke real cigarettes, the portrayal of addiction, stress, and the glamorous yet destructive culture of smoking serves as a powerful reflection of the era depicted in Peaky Blinders. While modern viewers might be alarmed by the constant puffing, it’s a reminder of just how far we’ve come in our understanding of the dangers of tobacco—and just how different things were in the time of Tommy Shelby and his brothers.