Cillian Murphy Exposes Shocking Secret Behind Tommy Shelby’s Iconic Haircut
Ever wondered why every guy with a Netflix account suddenly strutted out of the barbershop demanding “the Tommy Shelby,” only to realize that rocking a 1920s gang haircut doesn’t magically grant that effortless, brooding swagger (or Cillian Murphy’s cheekbones)? It’s wild how a TV show like Peaky Blinders turned the simple act of having most of your hair missing from the sides into a badge of… well, careful hygiene—and probably delusion, considering the actor himself calls the cut “disgusting.” I mean, so much for assuming that undercut was just about looking sharp while sipping whiskey in a dimly lit Birmingham pub . But here’s the itchy truth: beneath every iconic Peaky cap lurks not just fashion, but a real, historical war on lice. Feel like scratching your head yet? Go ahead, I’ll wait. This infamous haircut isn’t just about style, it’s about survival—and Murphy, bless him, would apparently rather run a mile than sport it off set. Curious how a skin fade became a cultural phenomenon… and why no one tells you it’s really a lice-fighting tactic? Dive in—because sometimes the price of looking cool is a little grosser than you’d expect. LEARN MORE
If you’ve ever wondered why Cillian Murphy has to have his hair like that when he plays Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders, there’s a reason the actor says is ‘disgusting’.
Murphy was on The Graham Norton Show this week and was naturally asked about the upcoming movie which he says is going to drop ‘next year’.
Peaky Blinders became something of a phenomenon, growing beyond a mere TV show into an entire aesthetic which many young men of the modern era have attempted to copy.
The suits, hats and haircuts have all been emulated to varying degrees of success by guys who see a picture of Tommy Shelby and think ‘that is literally me’ when it plainly isn’t.
Of all the aesthetics about the character which can be copied, the haircut is probably the easiest one since you can ask pretty much any barber for it.
The Tommy Shelby haircut has become really popular (Netflix)
Technically you’d ask for a French crop with a short, tapered undercut, but most lads going to the barbers would probably just ask for a skin fade and get similar results.
However, Murphy has said there’s a ‘disgusting’ reason why Tommy Shelby wears his hair like that.
The actor told Graham Norton that the Peaky Blinders movie was completed, which is good news, as the host raised the fact that the character’s iconic haircut ‘took off’ culturally.
“I mean, it’s so disgusting really,” Murphy said in response before explaining, “You know the story behind that is it’s to prevent lice infestation.”
The other guests on the chat show sofa were a bit confused since Tommy Shelby still had a decent amount of hair atop his head for historical lice to settle in.
“You get like a 60 percent better chance of not getting them, I guess,” Murphy added.
The actor has said in the past that it’s not what he’d choose if he was going to the barbers, having admitted that it’s ‘not grown on me’ and he prefers to keep his hair long.
He’d heard people asking for a ‘Peaky cut’ at the barbers but reckoned it really should have been called the ‘lice cut’.
It is actually a historically accurate trim, as it genuinely was done in part to help stop the spread of lice, while it also became popular among gang members as it allowed you to have some style on top while being more hygienic and reducing the places you might be grabbed in a brawl.
Cillian Murphy might not like it, but Tommy Shelby does.
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