Helen McCrory's journey from playing a protective mother in 'Harry Potter' to gang matriarch in 'Peaky Blinders' has been phenomenal

The British actress has played a number of unconventional roles -- each getting more ambitious than the previous one.

There are only a few actresses who have been able to portray a mother who commits heinous crimes while maintaining her image as the savior matriarch. Going by this record then, British actress Helen McCrory has time and again excelled in roles that proved a mother is not only committed towards the well-being of her children but can be selfish enough to disregard the affairs of the world solely for the benefit of motherhood. Her characters might not be diverse but the confined roles that she plays have been executed until the last morsel has been squeezed out of those characters. 

At the moment, McCrory is best known for her role as the Shelby matriarch, Polly Grey, a gypsy woman who is able to talk to spirits but at the same time commits a murder in the cleanest possible way. Polly Grey is one of the leading women on BBC One's 'Peaky Blinders' but unlike her fellow characters, Polly holds the upper hand when it comes to the Shelby family business. As the company's treasurer, Polly decides where the money goes and what happens with it, and let's keep in mind this is a woman who lives in the early 1910s, a time when due to World War I men were out in the battlefield and women for the first time were taking control over business. 

GET THE BIGGEST ENTERTAINMENT STORIES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

Emilia Clarke set the record straight on the salary rumors, one of the show's perennial talking points since the 2011 premiere
8 hours ago
With 'Star City' premiering on May 29, and two episodes streaming, the timeline and connection to 'For All Mankind' has been a talking point
10 hours ago
Kelly Baldwin’s groundbreaking discovery on Titan comes with a devastating cost as the Season 5 finale leaves her stranded with no way home
14 hours ago
Adam Rodriguez confirmed that production is already active for the historic season of 'Criminal Minds: Evolution'
15 hours ago
‘The Pitt’ leads the way with twelve nominations, while ‘Shrinking’ has emerged as the top contender in the comedy category with ten nominations.
16 hours ago
The new ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3 trailer teases the devastating war fans expected last season, with dragons and rival claims colliding.
20 hours ago
Thirty-nine years to the day that the original ‘A Different World’ premiered in 1987, its Netflix sequel series of the same name will also premiere in 2026
1 day ago
The show will follow the duo and SailGP’s Australian team across a global racing season
1 day ago
BBC drama A Good Girl's Guide to Murder has returned with a moving tribute to Danielle Scott-Haughton at the end of the first new episode
1 day ago
'Big Little Lies' creator David E. Kelley will adapt Michael Connelly's 2024 novel into a gripping detective procedural for the streamer
1 day ago