Troubled actor Paul Anderson looked dishevelled as he stepped out to grab some shopping from a local supermarket on Wednesday morning.
The Peaky Blinders star, 46, who recently hinted he could be starring in the upcoming movie, wore an unusual choice of outfit for his outing.
He slipped into a khaki green bomber jacket, worn with multi-coloured summer shorts and wintery black biker boots.
The popular actor, best known for his role as hard-living gangster Arthur Shelby Jr in the BBC drama, went back to his Peaky Blinders roots as he wore a Baker Boy Cap.
He emerged carrying a shopping bag filled with the essentials as he prepared to make his way home.
Paul recently teased that he will be appearing in the new Peaky Blinders movie, which begins filming in September, after he shared a picture of the script on social media.
He posted it with the defiant caption: ‘Just when I thought I was out…’ – a famous Michael Corleone quote from the Godfather series when he realises he cannot escape his life as a mob boss.
Paul would no doubt play a pivotal role in the Peaky Blinders film if involved, but his drug conviction in January and allegations of bad behaviour on set could threaten his participation.
Yet despite his fragility, there are signs that he hasn’t given up hope of reprising the role that made his name – and fans also want to see him alongside his co-star and TV brother Cillian Murphy.
It comes just months after he was caught with crack cocaine after a day in the pub. He was also found to have amphetamines, plus diazepam and pregabalin on him.
One local shopkeeper, who counts Paul as a friend, told MailOnline: ‘It’s heartbreaking. He’s a mess.
‘But his erratic behaviour is causing real problems. He often seems dazed and not with it.
‘He’s had arguments with people locally. He walks around making a lot of noise. We are all very worried. He had a big argument in Tesco a few weeks ago.
‘He is living like he is on another planet. He’s been in public topless. He struggles to walk. It’s a great concern. He looks out of control. It’s tragic.’
Another said: ‘He has been slowly looking worse over the months. He really stands out in the area. It’s awful.’
Real fears for his health has led to speculation that a much anticipated return to playing Arthur Shelby could be under threat.
He looked thin and frail in February, just days after his co-star Cillian finally confirmed he would be willing to play Tommy Shelby in a Peaky Blinders movie.
His own rags to riches tale is so extraordinary it could be from the pages of a Hollywood script.
The South Londoner, who is nicknamed Boycie like the wheeler dealer friend of Del Boy from Only Fools and Horses, had been making ends meet on the very edge of the law when he got his break around 15 years ago.
After leaving school at 14, Paul wanted to be a lead singer in a band and made money working as a tout, which is illegal in the UK.
But a chance meeting with a film director outside Stamford Bridge where he was selling tickets for Chelsea versus Barcelona led to a big part in cult movie The Firm after the director said he found his touting ‘exotic’ and loved his rasping accent.
Fame and fortune followed, including a decade on Peaky Blinders and parts in Hollywood blockbusters including The Revenant with Leodardo DiCaprio and his close friend Tom Hardy, who he calls his ‘brother’.
Paul lives in a £1.2million property in north London and is believed to be single. He has previously been linked to a jewellery designer Stephy Clark but their relationship status was never made public.
In January it emerged that Paul was arrested after a drinker at his local in Hampstead told the pub’s manager he there was a smell of drug fumes coming from the disabled toilet after the actor walked out on Boxing Day.
The actor was carrying a crack pipe but denied he was using it.
He would play a pivotal role in any Peaky Blinders film if involved, but his drug conviction in January and allegations of bad behaviour on set could threaten his participation.
Yet despite his frailty, there are signs that he hasn’t given up hope of reprising the role that made his name, with the actor responding to support from his Instagram followers.
One commented on a post: ‘By order of The Peaky Blinders’, to which Anderson replied: ‘Forever’.