Helen McCrory plays Aunt Polly Gray
Polly watches the family and can see who is coping in this new world and who is not. The situation becomes very much sink or swim, with Polly definitely swimming.
Where did we leave off with Polly in series two and how do we find her in series three?
We left Polly in series two having been reunited with the son that had been taken from her when he was young. She understandably feels hugely guilty about her past and wants to defend him with everything she has. Campbell (played by Sam Neill) sees this weakness in her and uses it to humiliate her, and she compromises herself in order to save her son. Polly is further humiliated by the fact that her son and everyone else knows what she has done and so she does what Peaky Blinders do, and she kills Campbell.
How does Polly reconcile her actions in series two with her conscience?
At the beginning of the third series you find a woman that, as a Catholic, is damned as a murderer. This series explores what happens to Polly’s soul and her mind as she carries the knowledge that she has killed a man. It is interesting to see how she battles with her conscience while still being part of this world that continues to be involved in killing.
Continue reading BBC Media Centre: Interview with Helen McCrory – Peaky Blinders Series 3
