Returning to the world of Peaky Blinders without Helen McCrory was never going to be a routine experience for the cast. For Sophie Rundle, now 37 and once again stepping into the role of Ada Shelby in The Immortal Man, the process became something far more emotional than simply revisiting a beloved character. It meant walking back onto familiar ground while carrying the unmistakable absence of the woman who had once defined the Shelby family’s emotional center.
McCrory’s portrayal of Aunt Polly was never just another performance within the Peaky Blinders universe. She brought authority, elegance, danger, and tenderness all at once, creating a presence so commanding that even in silence she seemed to shape the energy of every room. Her loss has continued to echo far beyond the screen, and according to Rundle, that grief was impossible to ignore during filming. It was not loud or theatrical. Instead, it lingered quietly, settling into the pauses between takes and the stillness that sometimes overtook the set.
Rundle reflected on one particularly demanding scene filmed inside the Shelby family home, a location already saturated with memory for the cast. In that moment, the emotional weight of McCrory’s absence became almost overwhelming. The familiar setting, once animated by Aunt Polly’s strength and sharp intelligence, now seemed to hold a kind of sacred emptiness. Rather than trying to push through it mechanically, the cast allowed themselves to feel it. They sat together in silence, letting the shared memory of McCrory speak louder than words.
That silence, Rundle suggested, was not merely grief. It was also a form of communion. The cast drew strength from Helen McCrory’s legacy, from the fierce spirit she had imprinted on the series and on the people around her. In many ways, her influence still appears to guide the emotional rhythm of the story. Even though Aunt Polly is no longer physically present in this chapter, her impact remains woven into the moral and emotional fabric of the Shelby family.
For Rundle, this has transformed the meaning of playing Ada Shelby. Ada is no longer simply the sharp-minded, quietly defiant sister audiences have known for years. She now carries a deeper symbolic weight. In the absence of Polly, Ada must step closer to the fire, inheriting some of that matriarchal force that once held the family together. Rundle’s reflection suggests that this evolution is not just narrative, but personal. To play Ada now is to honor Helen.
That is perhaps what makes The Immortal Man feel so emotionally charged before audiences have even seen it. It is not just a continuation of a celebrated story. It is also an act of remembrance. Through every restrained glance, every tense exchange, and every quiet moment in the Shelby home, the cast appears to be carrying Helen McCrory with them. And in that sense, Sophie Rundle’s words resonate deeply: even through the fog of loss, McCrory’s spirit still guides them.