Anya Taylor-Joy Names Her Iconic Peaky Blinders Villain The "Worst Character She's Ever Played" As Franchise Returns On Netflix

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Published Mar 21, 2026, 10:59 AM EDT

Rianna is the Movie News Editor for ScreenRant. After earning her BA in Film Studies, she began her career as an entertainment writer, contributing to several publications before joining ScreenRant. Her dissertation on the impact of streaming on traditional cinema sharpened her focus on the ever-evolving world of film and media. With 6 years in the industry, Rianna continues to cover the stories she loves while also advocating for awareness and representation of rare disabilities, such as Moebius Syndrome, which she lives with.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for the Peaky Blinders series.By order of the Peaky Blinders, Anya Taylor-Joy is not holding back as she speaks about the "worst character" she's ever played.

Peaky Blinders was a successful British drama with a star-studded cast including Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy, Taylor-Joy, Annabelle Wallis, Sam Claflin, Charlotte Riley, Stephen Graham, Sam Neill, and the late Helen McCrory, to name a few. It shows Birmingham in the aftermath of the Great War as returning soldiers find their place in a world that's rife with criminal gangs, and at the top of the pyramid is Tommy Shelby, the Shelby family, and their gang, the Peaky Blinders.

In an interview on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Taylor-Joy spoke about her past roles, including one her family is very passionate about, and, as she declares, the "worst character" she's ever played. The actress played the role of Gina Gray, who is the former wife of Michael Gray and the mother of Laurence Gray. Michael met his new wife in the U.S., and the two fell in love. However, her plans to take over the Shelby family business are constantly in play.

"Peaky Blinders is huge in Argentina. That's potentially the worst character I've ever played. They love it."

Taylor-Joy's character, Gina, had a plan to overthrow Tommy by using his gullible nephew to enact her plan. The plan was to kill the leader, Tommy, so Michael and, ultimately, Gina could be in control. Fortunately, Gina's plan doesn't work out, and unfortunately, it's at the cost of Michael's life, leaving Gina's future and the future of the Shelby family in turmoil.

Anya Taylor-Joy as Gina Gray looking up menacingly in Peaky Blinders

Fans of Peaky Blinders have placed Gina among the worst villains throughout the six-season series. Her name is certainly up there with Neill's character Inspector Campbell, Adrien Brody's character Luca Changretta, and Claflin's character Oswald Mosley. Michael is also at fault, but without Gina's constant encouragement, the escalation of the feud between him and Tommy could have been easily avoided.

Murphy has returned to the role of Tommy Shelby for a new Netflix movie, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, at the beginning of World War II, as he must rally to protect the remaining members of his family as well as his legacy. The Immortal Man is available to watch on Netflix now, and Peaky Blinders will be returning in a new sequel series, which has yet to determine a release date.