The team behind the hit British crime drama Peaky Blinders has slammed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for using footage from the show in a homophobic campaign video that attacks former President Donald Trump for supporting LGBTQ+ rights.
The video, which was shared by DeSantis’ campaign on Twitter, features clips of various films and shows, including Peaky Blinders, Troy, American Psycho and The Wolf of Wall Street, to depict DeSantis as a “badass” who opposes LGBTQ+ equality. The video also mocks Trump for standing up for Caitlyn Jenner’s right to choose her own bathroom and allowing transgender women to compete in his Miss Universe pageants.
The video has been widely criticized by LGBTQ+ groups, media outlets and fans of the show, who pointed out the irony and hypocrisy of using Peaky Blinders footage to promote anti-LGBTQ+ views. Peaky Blinders, which stars Cillian Murphy as Tommy Shelby, the leader of a gang in 1920s Birmingham, has featured several LGBTQ+ characters and themes throughout its six seasons.
The team behind Peaky Blinders, including creator Steven Knight and star Cillian Murphy, issued a statement denouncing the video’s narrative and strongly disapproving of the use of their content in this manner.
“We do not support nor endorse the video’s narrative and strongly disapprove of the use of the content in this manner,” they wrote. “The footage of Tommy Shelby’s character used within the video posted by Ron DeSantis’ campaign was obtained without permission or official license.”
They also shared their statement on the official Peaky Blinders Twitter account, where they received support from many fans who expressed their outrage at DeSantis’ campaign.
“The video is a pathetic attempt to appeal to the far-right base by using pop culture references that make no sense. DeSantis should be ashamed of himself for exploiting Peaky Blinders and other shows for his political agenda,” wrote a fan of Peaky Blinders on Twitter.
This is not DeSantis’ first conflict with Hollywood, as he has also clashed with Disney over its stance against his “Don’t Say Gay” bill in 2022. The bill would have banned public schools from teaching about LGBTQ+ issues and history. Disney, which operates several theme parks in Florida, opposed the bill and threatened to pull its business from the state. DeSantis retaliated by taking away Disney’s power to self-govern its 25,000-acre site in Orlando.
DeSantis has not responded to the criticism from Peaky Blinders or other sources. His campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Relevant articles:
– ‘Peaky Blinders’ Denounces Homophobic Ron DeSantis Campaign Video: Cillian Murphy Footage Was ‘Obtained Without Permission’, Variety, Jul 5, 2023
– ‘Peaky Blinders’ and Cillian Murphy denounce homophobic video shared by DeSantis campaign, NBC News, Jul 5, 2023
– Peaky Blinders Slams Ron DeSantis Campaign for Using Tommy Shelby Without Permission, IGN, Jul 5, 2023
– ‘Peaky Blinders’ Denounces Homophobic Ron DeSantis Campaign Video: Cillian Murphy Footage Was ‘Obtained Without Permission’, Meaws, Jul 5, 2023