During the production of the historical crime drama Peaky Blinders, lead actor Cillian Murphy portrayed Thomas Shelby, a character rarely seen without a lit cigarette. Viewers of the acclaimed show frequently observe the constant, heavy smoking required for the role, creating an atmosphere authentic to the period.
The production team needed to maintain this strict historical accuracy for a 1920s gangster while simultaneously complying with modern workplace health regulations. The solution involved a massive quantity of prop cigarettes and a meticulous prop department tracking the inventory. Over the course of the television series, Murphy consumed an astonishing volume of these herbal alternatives to bring the character to life on screen.
Replacing Tobacco With Herbal Ingredients
Because real tobacco is no longer permitted on modern television sets due to strict health and safety rules, the prop department sourced specialized herbal cigarettes for the entire cast. These props do not contain nicotine or tobacco, eliminating the highly addictive properties and many of the toxins found in standard cigarettes. Instead, the prop team used customized cigarettes filled with natural ingredients such as rose petals, clover, and marshmallow leaves.
On camera, these herbal alternatives burn exactly like regular tobacco cigarettes, which typically measure about 85 millimeters or 3.3 inches in length. They produce the exact same visual smoke effect required by the directors. The actors light them, inhale the smoke, and interact with them just as they would with a real tobacco product during the filming of the episodes.
The Prop Department Calculation
As the filming of the series progressed, Murphy realized he was constantly lighting up for almost all of his scenes. He became curious about the exact number of herbal cigarettes he was consuming on a daily basis. He asked the prop department, who meticulously tracked all on-set items and consumables, to calculate his usage.
The technicians checked their records and informed him that he was smoking approximately 3,000 herbal cigarettes per season. Since the television show ran for a total of six seasons, the final calculation brought his total to an estimated 18,000 herbal cigarettes over the lifetime of the production. For a single short scene, the actor might light multiple cigarettes to match continuity from different camera angles.
Physical Effects Of Fake Smoke
Even though the prop cigarettes lack nicotine, they still emit real smoke and ash when ignited. Inhaling burning plant matter on a daily basis affects the performers physically over long filming schedules. Other actors on the show who also smoked the herbal props noted that the smoke leaves a distinct, often unpleasant taste in the mouth.
Following his time on Peaky Blinders and his subsequent role in the film Oppenheimer, where he also played a heavy smoker, Murphy stated in an interview that he will no longer play characters who smoke. He pointed out that even herbal cigarettes carry mandatory health warnings today, leading him to definitively abandon any future roles requiring constant on-camera smoking.