Peaky Blinders actor Paul Anderson praises Astana roads and hospitality
British actor Paul Anderson, best known as Arthur Shelby in Peaky Blinders, said Astana's wide multilane roads and the courtesy of local residents stood out during his visit to the Kazakh capital, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
Anderson spoke to reporters at a press conference held as part of Comic Con Astana, where he is appearing as one of the festival's headline guests.
Asked whether anything in Kazakhstan had given him a culture shock, the actor said it had not. He explained that he grew up in South London, a district he described as home to people from many nationalities and countries. What impressed him instead, he said, was the scale of the country, including highways of four and five lanes. He added that Kazakhstan reminded him in many ways of the U.S., and said he was unsure whether audiences here would take that as a compliment.
The way people speak to one another was the second difference he singled out. In the environment he came from, Anderson said, conversation is far blunter and swearing is routine. He described the people he met in Kazakhstan as kind and warm, saying he had not encountered a single rude person during the trip, and that no one swore even in passing.
To illustrate the contrast, the actor pointed to Nil by Mouth, the Gary Oldman film about working-class life in South London. He said the title reflected what he considered a limited vocabulary among working-class Londoners, himself included, and the habit of filling the gaps with profanity.
Anderson also gave a positive assessment of the festival itself. He told journalists he was not in the habit of saying things simply to please an audience and that reporters were free to write whatever they wished about him. On that basis, he said, he could state sincerely that this was the best Comic Con he had ever attended. He described the reaction of fans in Astana as the most welcome and comfortable he had felt at such an event.
Comic Con Astana is running in the capital from August 6 to 9. Organizers said around 16,000 people attended on the opening day, the highest single-day figure recorded since the festival began. Applications for the cosplay contest came in from more than 20 countries, and 180 participants were selected after screening. Preliminary estimates put total attendance across the four days at about 100,000.
Anderson's screen credits also include The Revenant, Legend and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.
Earlier, Qazinform reported that Comic Con Astana 2026 set a new attendance record on its opening day, drawing around 16,000 visitors on August 6.
