Joe Cole, who played John Shelby on Peaky Blinders, talked about his journey in a recent interview, saying he's "somewhere" on the neurotypical spectrum.

According to The Sunday Times, the actor, who appeared on the show from 2013 to 2017 as Tommy Shelby's younger brother, shared that he had trouble focusing on schoolwork, but his interest in drama and theatre persuaded him to opt for something else.

“I’m somewhere on the neurotypical spectrum. I found it hard to focus on my coursework and doing the work required to get to university. Drama and theatre studies were a different matter. That gave me the fire in my belly to go and pursue something else,” he said.

Joe Cole left Peaky Blinders before the last two seasons when the show's popularity grew. He then focused on leading roles and won the British Independent Film Award for Best Actor in 2018.

He also paid a heartfelt homage to his Peaky Blinders co-star Helen McCrory, who succumbed to breast cancer and embraced death in 2021 at the age of 52.

According to the same outlet, calling to mind Helen’s extraordinary presence, Joe said the brightest people in this world might be the ones taken too soon, and it’s really devastating.

He thought of Helen as someone who always alerted and made up the minds of people around her for every challenge that might come their way.

"She was great with my little brother, Finn, who had his first acting role on Peaky Blinders. They were very close, and she made a big impact,” Joe concluded by saying at the time.