Tom Hiddleston and Claire Danes appeared in great spirits as they laughed on the set of their new TV show The Essex Serpent in the county’s town of Maldon on Tuesday.
The actor, 40, stepped into the role of hot priest Will Ransome in traditional attire, while his on-screen love interest, 41, wore a blonde wig.
In the six-part series being filmed for Apple TV+, Claire’s character Cora Seaborne – released from an abusive marriage – develops an intense relationship with the minister.
Cheery: Tom Hiddleston and Claire Danes appeared in great spirits as they laughed on the set of their new TV show The Essex Serpent in the county’s town of Maldon on Tuesday
Screen star Tom cut a sharp figure in a white clerical shirt, tied in with a waist coat and blazer, while his co-star looked equally smart for the upcoming project – set during the Victorian era.
The American thespian was dressed in a turtleneck jumper and a wool coat, which featured balloon-style shoulder padding.
For the scenes, crew transformed the bay of Hythe Quay with the addition of fishing boxes and baskets. In a post on Facebook, Topsail Charters said: ‘Our barges are taking centre stage behind the filming props today. The quayside is being transformed as we speak ready for filming this Thursday.
On cloud nine: The actor, 40, stepped into the role of hot priest Will Ransome in traditional attire, while his on-screen love interest, 41, wore a blonde wig
Chemistry: The acclaimed screen stars couldn’t contain their delight as they engaged in conversation in between takes
What’s so funny? The Loki hunk appeared to make the leading star chuckle as she grinned during a stroll across the town
In his element: The award-winning performer cut a sharp figure in a white clerical shirt, tied in with a waist coat and blazer
Coordination: The American beauty looked equally smart for the upcoming project – set during the Victorian era
Juggling act: TV star Tom will next be seen as his Marvel character Loki in an upcoming spin-off series which sees him travel through time and alter human history after stealing the Tesseract during the events of Avengers: Endgame
Different look: The mother-of-two was dressed in a turtleneck jumper and a wool coat, which featured balloon-style shoulder padding
Plot: In the six-part series being filmed for Apple TV+, Claire’s character Cora Seaborne – released from an abusive marriage – develops an intense relationship with the minister
The programme follows Cora, a widow who moves from London to the Essex village of Aldwinter in search of a mythical sea creature.
Homeland star Claire replaced Keira Knightley in the role when the British actress had to withdraw for ‘family reasons’.
The Old Etonian won rave reviews for his performance as a hotel worker recruited to spy on a ruthless arms dealer in the BBC’s Night Manager in 2016, not least for his steamy sex session with Elizabeth Debicki.
The release date for The Essex Serpent, directed by Clio Barnard, is likely to be next year.
Synopsis: The programme follows Cora, a widow who moves from London to the Essex village of Aldwinter in search of a mythical sea creature
Staying safe: At one point, the duo chatted to crew members who sported PPE amid the global crisis
‘Who’s excited to see The Essex Serpent? I know we are… be great advertising for Maldon & our barges hopefully.’
Maldon District Council also confirmed that filming would be taking place in the area, telling Essex Live in a statement: ‘We are delighted that the production company has chosen the Maldon District as one of their locations for a new six-part drama.
‘They have a sizeable base on Promenade Park, and they will minimise any disruption during their filming and ensure safety can be maintained at all times.
‘We would remind everyone that while this is clearly exciting, social distancing must still be maintained at all times.’
Clio Bernard is directing the series while writer Anna Symon is adapting Sarah Perry’s novel of the same name for the screen.
TV star Tom will next be seen as his Marvel character Loki in an upcoming spin-off series which sees him travel through time and alter human history after stealing the Tesseract during the events of Avengers: Endgame.
Tom’s Loki has been one of the longest-running recurring castmembers in Marvel’s connected film universe, starting with Thor in 2011.
It’s showtime! The I Saw The Light star was first pictured shooting scenes earlier this month