Cillian Murphy has opened up about the tragic loss of his co-star and friend Helen McCrory, who died from breast cancer last year.
The 52-year-old was best known for playing Polly Gray in Peaky Blinders, and had starred in the BBC series alongside Cillian since 2013.
Speaking to Esquire UK, the Irish actor said: “I still can’t believe she’s not here. It doesn’t make sense. I’ve never lost anyone like that — who was young and a friend.”
“It was very confusing. But she was magnificent. She was an absolutely magnificent person.”
“She was inspirational,” he continued. “People throw that word around, but she genuinely was. Her values, the way she dealt with her kids and Damian [Lewis, the actor, and McCrory’s husband of 14 years]…”
“She cares about everybody. She’s really funny and really cool, and she had this real warmth. She really cared.”
Production on season six of Peaky Blinders was heavily delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, and by the time they started filming again in early 2021, Helen was unable to participate due to her battle with breast cancer.
The script then had to be revised, and Helen’s character was written out of the season.
On April 16, midway through filming, the cast and crew learned that Helen had passed away.
Speaking about filming the show’s sixth season without Helen, Cillian said: “It wasn’t a very pleasant shooting experience, for loads of different reasons.”
“We were just reeling throughout the whole thing. She was a dear, dear pal and she was the beating heart of that show, so it felt very strange being on set without her.”
“The difficult thing to comprehend is that, if it wasn’t for Covid, there would be a whole other version of this show with Helen in it,” he explained.
“But she was so private and so f***ing brave and courageous.”
Peaky Blinders is set to return to BBC One this month, but an official premiere date is yet to be announced.
