With their flat caps and sharp three-piece suits, you’d almost think the brutal gangland series Peaky Blinders had declared themselves some hot new stars.
But while Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor were indeed dressed to the nines while filming a period drama, this one has something more romantic in mind.
Irish actor Mescal, who won a Bafta for his role in Normal People, and O’Connor, who played Prince Charles in the Netflix series The Crown, will star as men who fall in love in the shadow of the First World War.
Lionel and David, who meet at music college, embark on a project to record the lives, voices and music of their friends and compatriots, forging a forbidden bond in the process.
Based on an award-winning novella, The History Of Sound, by American author Ben Shattuck, the film version is currently filming in New Jersey.
Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor were seen dressed to the nines while filming World War I romantic drama The History of Sound
Mescal (pictured) and O’Connor play Lionel and David, who embark on a project to record the lives, voices and music of their friends, forging a forbidden bond in the process
O’Connor stars in the drama, which is based on an award-winning novella by American author Ben Shattuck and is currently filming in New Jersey.
Director Oliver Hermanus said Mescal, 28, and O’Connor, 33 – photographed last week sharing a joke between takes – were “on fire” in the roles.
“They are good friends,” he added. “They like to work together.”
Both have previously taken on roles as gay men in other projects. Before starring in The Crown, O’Connor made his breakthrough in the romantic drama God’s Own Country.
Mescal’s latest film, the critically acclaimed All Of Us Strangers, is a romance about two men who live in an abandoned tower block and enter into a relationship.
Mescal, who is straight, has defended being cast as gay, saying: “When performances are considered offensive, it’s when actors try to play a sexuality.
‘They contain so much more than that, and that’s what I like to find in this story. Not just as a queer love story, but as a love story in general.”
The History Of Sound is expected to be published in 2025.
Irish actor Mescal is best known for his role in Normal People, which won him a Bafta
O’Connor previously played Prince Charles in the hit Netflix royal drama series The Crown
