When you spend a long time with a character, there are certain habits of them that just seem natural to you. For example, we were all used to Jon Snow and his righteousness, and how Joey never shared food. We were also used to Ted’s hopeless quest to find love and Michael’s quirky jokes. Similarly, when we spend close to 10 years with a character like Tommy Shelby, played by Cillian Murphy, there were a few things we associate him with. The firsts of which are the trademark whiskey in his hand and the cigarette. But oddly enough, Tommy no longer drinks.

Well, sure, it is a decision that is going to benefit Tommy’s health, and it came at the right time following Polly’s death. But fans were rather interested to see how it all came about. Which was the exact question Cillian Murphy answered in a recent interview with Variety.

Cillian Murphy on why he thinks Tommy went sober

In the very first episode of Peaky Blinders Season 6, we see Tommy dealing with the loss of Polly. After that, we see a time jump of four whole years, where we come to know that Tommy no longer drinks. To add to that, we see him moved to this French colony of Miquelon island, away from his family. It really raises questions about why exactly he chose to do all these things.

Well, to clear all our doubts and concerns, Cillian Murphy talked about why Tommy did what he did. In an interview with Variety, the Irish actor opened about what he thought about Tommy’s condition. He said Tommy went down that path because, at the end of the season, failure left him devastated, which brought him to the verge of killing himself. “He has reached the end of the road in terms of being always one step ahead of people, and it was the first time that he was behind,” says Cillian.

He explained how this entire Peaky Blinders episode was a breaking point for Tommy. It also increased his mental health issues and dependency. Cillian added, “When we see him four years later after losing Polly, he is trying to reform in some way and the tension in this series will be whether or not he can stay on that path. He is still struggling psychologically and mentally, even at the beginning of Season 6.”

Though he has stopped consuming alcohol, a theory predicted that Tommy might die in this season. What are your thoughts about that?