Unexpected Similarity Between Peaky Blinders and Boardwalk Empire You May Have Missed
Stephen Graham stole the show in both Peaky Blinders and Boardwalk Empire.
Period crime dramas enthusiasts certainly watched both Peaky Blinders and Boardwalk Empire. If you watched these gems, you might have noticed some similarities between the shows.
Peaky Blinders and Boardwalk Empire transport us to the tumultuous times of the early 20th century, where crime, power struggles, and complex characters are the order of the day. Both series explore the rise of criminal empires — the Shelby family in Birmingham and Nucky Thompson in Atlantic City.
The shows share many elements, and there’s a cherry on top — an actor who got lucky to be in both shows. Stephen Graham, known for such movies as Snatch and Gangs of New York, is the thread that connects these two series.
In Boardwalk Empire, Graham is playing a big criminal boss on his way to the top. He portrayed the infamous Al Capone, the real-life gangster of the 20th century.
He was in every season of the show, and he stole every scene he was in. His performance was lauded, and with this role, Graham also proved his ability to adapt to diverse roles.
In Peaky Blinders, Graham appears only in the sixth and final season. He plays the role of Hayden Stagg, a union convenor in Liverpool, who organizes the sale of stolen opium.
His character isn’t really that important for the overall story but he still stands out. He showed a different approach to conflict, employing empathy and words as his weapons, leaving a lasting impact on Arthur Shelby.
Steven Knight, the creator of Peaky Blinders, had nothing but praise for Stephen Graham. In a recent interview with ECHO, he commended Graham’s fantastic presence on set and highlighted how the show has been fortunate to attract some of the best actors of the generation.
"He has such presence. When you see him on screen you're only watching him," Knight added.
When it was revealed that Graham will appear in the series’ final season, fans were actually hoping for him to portray Al Capone again, this time in Peaky Blinders.
We knew that the Shelby Brothers had some ties with Capone, especially since he helped take down Luca Changretta in the season 4 finale. Sadly, we never got to see Capone make an appearance on the screen.
Source: ECHO