Cillian Murphy smoked a crazy amount of cigs during ‘Peaky Blinders’

Don't worry, they're only herbal. But still!

Everyone's favourite smoky post-World War I crime saga is returning next week, which means more epic drama and more beautifully cinematic shots of Cillian Murphy destroying his lungs. Why you gotta look so good smoking, bro? Thankfully, the actor has reassured reporters that he only smokes herbal cigarettes on set during filming of the show, and that they are "so weak" that show creator Steve Knight joked they would "probably count as one of his five-a-day". As the actor explained when speaking to the Independent:

"People did smoke all day [back then] and it just became a Tommy thing. There were these rose cigarettes that are herbal. I asked the prop guys to count how many I smoked just out of interest, and they think it's something like 3,000.”

3,000 herbal cigs! In another interview with Complex, Cillian elaborated on how he "prepares" for the role of Tommy:

"Well, first of all I get a terrible haircut, and then I got to the gym and go on all kinds of appalling machines so I look hench for the role. I’m being facetious—but while Tommy’s a very rewarding character to play, I don’t need rituals."

Unless, of course, the ritual in question involves copious amount of herbal cigs. [caption id="attachment_55958" align="alignnone" width="627"] via Tumblr / The Week[/caption] The Shelby boys will be back on May 5. Check out the new trailer for the upcoming series – featuring Tom Hardy – here.