Guy Pearce

A Spy Among Friends (2022)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Damian Lewis as Nicholas Elliott and Guy Pearce as Kim Philby dressed in black suits and ties sit on a beige sofa. Both look at the camera. Lewis on the left wears wire-rimmed glasses and Pearce on the right sits with his legs firmly crossed.

Damian Lewis and Guy Pearce in A Spy Among Friends (2022) © ITV

Director: Nick Murphy
Writer: Alexander Cary
Starring: Damian Lewis, Guy Pearce, Adrian Edmondson, Anna Maxwell Martin
Production Companies: BritBox, ITV Studios, Sony Pictures Television, Spectrum, Veritas Entertainment Group
Kent Locations Used: The Historic Dockyard Chatham

Based on the best-selling book by Ben Macintyre, A Spy Among Friends (2022) details the defection of notorious Soviet double agent Kim Philby and his complex relationship with MI6 colleague Nicholas Elliott.

Adapted for the screen by Alexander Cary (Homeland, Taken), the mini-series stars Guy Pearce (Genius (2016), Mare of Easttown) as Kim Philby, Damian Lewis (Wolf Hall (2015), The Sweeney (2012)) as Nicholas Elliott, Adrian Edmondson (Back to Life (2019-2021), The Rizen (2017)) and Anna Maxwell Martin (Bleak House (2005), Line of Duty).

Anchor Wharf and HMS Cavalier at The Historic Dockyard Chatham feature in Episodes 1 & 2 of the series, doubling as a Russian ship and dock.

Chatham Dockyard is a historic 17th Century Dockyard which spans over 80 acres and contains over 100 buildings dating from the Georgian and Victorian periods. It is one of Kent’s most popular filming locations, with high-profile productions such as Sherlock Holmes (2009), Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (2019), and Operation Mincemeat (2022) making use of the site.

A Spy Among Friends will be available to stream on the brand new ITVX on Thursday 8th December 2022.

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map.

Genius (2016)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Actor Guy Pearce wearing a beige top siting on a sofa smoking, looking away from the camera. Drinks and books can be seen in front of him.

Guy Pearce in Genius (2016)

 

Writer: John Logan (screenplay) A. Scott. Berg (writer)

Director: Michael Grandage

Starring: Colin Firth, Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Laura Linney, Guy Pearce, Dominic West, Vanessa Kirby

Producers: James J. Bagley, A. Scott. Berg, Tim Bevan and James Bierman

Production Company: Desert Wolf Productions, Michael Grandage Company, Riverstone Pictures, Ingenious, Pinewood Pictures

Kent Locations Used: The Historic Dockyard Chatham

Genius is a drama about the complex transformative relationship between the world-renowned book editor Maxwell Perkins (Colin Firth), who discovered F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway, and the larger-than-life literary giant Thomas Wolfe (Jude Law).

The film stars: Colin Firth (The King’s Speech/Kingsman: The Secret Service), Jude Law (Dom Hemingway/Spy), Nicole Kidman (Grace of Monaco/Paddington), Laura Linney (The Big C/Mr Holmes), Guy Pearce (Iron Man 3/The Rover), Dominic West (Burton and Taylor/Testament of Youth), Vanessa Kirby (About Time/Jupiter Ascending). The film was directed by Michael Grandage (The Madness of King George/Bugs). The film was written by John Logan (Skyfall/Spectre) and A. Scott. Berg (The Colbert Report/Facing the Nation).

The bustling docks and streets of 1920s New York were filmed at The Historic Dockyard Chatham. The scenes mostly revolved around where Thomas Wolfe (Jude Law) lived in New York. The Dockyard is a popular location for period dramas due to it’s Georgian and Victorian buildings and cobbled streets. The Dockyard has previously featured on screen in a number of early 20th century dramas including The Crown (2016),  Suffragette (2015) and Downton Abbey (2013).

Genius was released in cinemas on 10th June 2016.

Genius trailer – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCvcD3IBSlc

 

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map.