Movies - TV
Why Peaky Blinders' Paul Anderson Was Drawn To His Role As Arthur Shelby
By JEREMY MATHAI
Paul Anderson's Arthur Shelby is violent, unpredictable, and often a tragic character but it gives Anderson all sorts of meat to chew on as an actor. Anderson has gone on record to state that no other character on television proved to be as appealing to him as Arthur when he first signed on to play the role on “Peaky Blinders.”
In an interview, Anderson explained that it was the script and the enthusiasm of Otto Bathurst, who directed the first three episodes, that really drew him to the role in the first place. He also stated the character's innate flaws and brutish predisposition were also major selling points, "They're the most interesting roles to play: violent, brutal, dark characters.”
He concluded by saying, “There's so much scope because you can do the obvious brutish kind of stuff, but then you can play the sort of different layers with a violent man. There's a reason for that sort of behavior and mentality. Men were hard men and if they weren't then they were left behind. It was a pleasure to play Arthur Shelby. Much better than playing the nice guy."