If there's someone who won't be disturbed in the slightest by the return of Peaky Blinders, which is expected at the end of August, it's Scott Blower. His name probably doesn't ring a bell, but this 47-year-old English gardener has become a sensation in the UK in recent months, due to his striking resemblance to Cillian Murphy, the 43-year-old actor who plays the charismatic "Tommy" Shelby in the hit series signed by BBC.
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"I had never heard of him"
But the gardener, who is a resident of Sale, Greater Manchester, was not always aware of his resemblance to the actor. When the first season of the series came out, in 2013, he didn't even know who he was.
"Big fans of his would come up to me, in a bar or something, and say 'you look like Cillian Murphy,' and I'd never even heard of him," he told a columnist for the Manchester Evening News.
But he soon realized that he could take advantage of his resemblance to the man who smoked no less than 1,000 cigarettes on the set of the first season: "Then when we went to Marbella it was when Peaky Blinders was out, I was just getting mobbed. [...] My mates loved it because we could get free beds - you know how they charge for beds and things like that over there?"
But he has no intention of posing as the actual actor. I never feel tempted to act like I am actually him. I would never do that,' says Scott. "I usually just tell them. Even when I'm out shopping with my kids, I get stopped and I'll say I'm not him."
"Attending an event with a different woman every week..."
But does the "Tommy Shelby" card work with women? It appears so. "I was single when I started it and I could have walked out the bar or an event every week with a different woman but I'm not like that," he says modestly.
Especially since Scott has since found love, in the form of Nicola. "I'm glad I met Nicola now and she's accepting it so it's all fine. Obviously she does get a bit jealous, but she's not too fussed," he says, before adding: "She agrees I look like Cillian Murphy - I think that's why she likes me."
In the end, his resemblance to Cillian Murphy has allowed Scott to quit his gardening job. He is now employed in a Peaky Blinders-themed bar, says the Daily Mail, where he is "paid to hang out in the clothes from the 1920s". Doesn't sound like a bad life to be honest...
Check out the video above to see Scott's striking resemblance to Tommy Shelby for yourself!
