Sophie Rundle appears ready to draw a firm line between Ada Shelby’s past and future. As anticipation builds around the upcoming Peaky Blinders film, the actress has made it clear that there is one version of Ada she has no interest in returning to: the woman who stands at the edge of the room while the men make the decisions. For Rundle, that image no longer fits the character, and more importantly, it no longer reflects the kind of woman Ada has become.
Over the course of the series, Ada evolved far beyond her early role as Tommy Shelby’s younger sister caught between loyalty, love, and the family’s dangerous ambitions. She began as one of the few characters willing to challenge the Shelby machine from within, often acting as a conscience in a world dominated by violence and power plays. Yet even with her intelligence and independence, Ada was at times framed as a supporting presence, reacting to her brothers rather than driving events herself. That, according to Rundle, is exactly the kind of portrayal she refuses to repeat.
Her comments suggest that the film will present a much more commanding Ada, one who no longer waits for permission to speak or act. Rundle reportedly pushed for a script that acknowledges the real influence women carried during periods of upheaval, especially during the war years. Rather than serving as a symbolic voice of reason or a silent observer to Shelby business, Ada is now positioned as a serious political and strategic force. In this new chapter, she is not standing behind the family legacy. She is helping shape it.
That shift matters because Ada has always represented something different inside the Peaky Blinders world. While Tommy built power through intimidation and control, Ada often operated through intellect, social awareness, and political instinct. She understood the systems around her, and she learned how to survive them without becoming a copy of her brothers. By refusing scenes that reduce Ada to a passive figure, Rundle is protecting the integrity of a character who has earned far more than a place at the margins.
The actress’s stance also reflects a broader change in how female characters are expected to function in historical crime dramas. Audiences no longer want women to exist simply as emotional anchors, romantic casualties, or decorative witnesses to male ambition. They want women with agency, authority, and contradictions of their own. Rundle seems fully aware of that, and her vision for Ada matches that expectation.
If The Immortal Man truly aims to explore the legacy of the Shelby name, then Ada’s role could be one of its most important elements. She is no longer the sister waiting in the corridor for the men to finish talking. She is no longer the damsel, the messenger, or the moral compass with no power to act. In Rundle’s view, Ada is now one of the people holding the future in her hands, and she intends to play her that way.