Why did Cillian Murphy become a vegetarian? Actor broke 15-year diet and started eating meat to bulk up for 'Peaky Blinders'

Cillian Murphy gave up vegetarianism after 15 years so that Tommy Shelby wouldn't look like a 'skinny Irish fella'
UPDATED JUL 11, 2023
Cillian Murphy revealed that a personal trainer advised him to start eating meat in order to 'bulk up' for the first season in 2013 (Jason Mendez/Getty Images)
Cillian Murphy revealed that a personal trainer advised him to start eating meat in order to 'bulk up' for the first season in 2013 (Jason Mendez/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CALFORNIA: Actors experiment with a variety of habits to play different roles. While some are forced to follow a strict eating plan to shed weight, others need to go through grueling workout sessions to build muscle mass. And then there are some who take it to extremes, Cillian Murphy being a case in point. For 'Peaky Blinders', the Irish actor made the giant switch from vegetarianism. The accomplished thespian had stuck to a restricted diet for 15 years until then, according to a report from Mr Porter.

The 47-year-old 'Oppenheimer' actor has admitted that he gave up vegetarianism after 15 years so that he wouldn't appear to be a "skinny Irish fella" when he played Tommy Shelby in Steven Knight's 'Peaky Blinders', a well-known British period crime drama television series. 


 
 
 
 
 
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Why did Cillian Murphy become a vegetarian?

Cillian Murphy stated to Mr Porter that a personal trainer advised him to start eating meat in order to "bulk up" for the first season in 2013. "I was vegetarian for about 15 years. But it was never a moral decision," he noted. "It was more that I was worried about getting mad cow disease. For the first series of Peaky Blinders, they were anxious that I shouldn't look like a skinny Irish fella, and my trainer recommended eating meat."

In a previous interview with The Observer, Murphy laughed at the intrusion into his private life and remarked, "We cook, we watch movies, we listen to music. I was vegetarian for a long time then I relapsed and now I’ve relapsed back to vegetarianism. My wife is, too. It’s so unremarkable! It’s not good copy."

'Peaky Blinders' had an incredibly successful run of six seasons, airing 36 episodes from September 2013 to April 2022. There won't be a seventh season, according to reports, but creator Knight announced that a movie will be made in its place. According to him, COVID-19 was the primary cause of the shift in medium. When the pandemic struck, they missed a year of production. "So we put our heads together and thought that it would be a good idea to do a movie instead of doing series seven," Knight added.

RELATED TOPICS PEAKY BLINDERS CILLIAN MURPHY

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