Peaky Blinders star opens up on Scottish roots and love for Celtic
Paul Anderson, who played Arthur Shelby in Peaky Blinders, has told how his Scots dad was his inspiration for the gangster.
Troubled Peaky Blinders star Paul Anderson has revealed his Scots dad gave him the inspiration for his gangster character Arthur Shelby.
Celtic-daft Anderson, 50, starred opposite Cillian Murphy in the hit BBC drama series, while Tommy Flanagan played their father. He claims he was “starved of affection” as a child while his Glaswegian dad and other adults spent all weekend getting drunk.
The actor said: “In Peaky Blinders it was easy for me to relate to the stuff with Tommy Flanagan who played my dad, Arthur senior. My real father was from Maryhill, in Glasgow, and I had a tepid relationship with him.
“We were a big family and I was starved of affection. I’d be stuck in the house all week and there would be 12 of us, including cousins, while the grown-ups were at the pub, leaving us home for a couple of days.
“He was tough on me and it was very similar to Peaky Blinders. It didn’t take a lot for me to get into that with Tommy Flanagan also being from Glasgow. It was cathartic."
He added: “So I can get in touch with rage, with sadness and fear. It’s a deep well that isn’t hard for me to reach because of my past. Because I’ve seen suffering, I’ve seen pain, I’ve experienced it, but my dad fathered me the best he knew.”
In an exclusive interview with The Record, Anderson refused to confirm whether he will play Arthur in the much anticipated Peaky Blinders movie.
His role is in doubt due to him having been addicted to crack cocaine. He claims he is prohibited to speak about the film after signing an NDA.
But he promised to be more open when he gives a special appearance at a Q&A session held in Dundee’s Fat Sam’s nightclub in June.
Having recently become a dad to son Bud, he’ll make his TV comeback with a lead role in Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman’s big-budget US civil war series, The Gray Room.
Directed by Roland Joffe, behind classic films The Mission and Chariots of Fire, the eight-part series has been made by Paramount.
He said: “It’s been a while in the making. I spoke to Kevin Costner last week and they’re all very happy. It was a great experience.
“There was a screening in September at Kevin’s house in LA. He showed a marathon run of all eight episodes. I watched the first episode and went for lunch.
“I play the lead male figure because it’s actually a true story about three women who were spies for the Union during the civil war and who helped bring an end to slavery.”
Anderson describes his latest character as one audiences will love to hate almost as much as Arthur Shelby.
He said: “I don’t really like to watch myself in things but I’ve watched a few episodes over my mum’s shoulder and it looks really impressive.
“I’m very pleased with what I’ve done and that’s good enough for me. I play Stokely Reeves who is based on a real person. You’ll love to hate him. He’s a villain. I’m responsible for a lot of atrocities in the show.”
Last month, Anderson was convicted of riding a motorbike without insurance and will be sentenced later. A court heard he could not be found at his £1.2million home near London’s Hampstead Heath after failing to attend the hearing.
He had moved out and the authorities were unable to find his current address, according to court documents. He had previously pled guilty to possession of crack cocaine and amphetamines in January of last year.
He said: “I’m around at my mum’s for a few days, while my girlfriend and son are away. I’m in Kennington, south London cos I thought I’d get a bit of mince and totties.
“When I’m in the thick of it in places like LA it is about not forgetting where you’re from. I’m from a council estate. I won’t forget that.”
He insists his relationships with Peaky Blinders stars including Murphy, who played Tommy Shelby, Tom Hardy and Adrien Brody, have been unaffected by his troubles.
He said: “I love Cillian like a brother. We played brothers for 10 years on screen. We talked about it a few months ago about how close we are.
“Tom’s a very good friend of mine. We’ve done The Legend together and a film called The Revenant.
“We met back up again and we became friends on Peaky Blinders. We had a great time, and we had dinner that night after the scene and have remained friends ever since.
“I met Adrien through Leo DiCaprio in LA and he knew me when he came on the show. I met Adrien after Peaky Blinders again from friends of mine in LA and established a little bit more of a friendship with him.
“A lot of these people, they’re already fans of yours. I’m shaking their hand as a fan and find out they’re happy to meet me.”