It Snowed Last Night In Downtown Essex

ESSEX, CT — Although the thermometer mercury was into the '90s on Wednesday, "This Is Us" star Justin Hartley was adorned in dark jeans and a heavy winter jacket, in downtown Essex as he and the Netflix crew filmed scenes for the upcoming movie, "The Noel Diary" directed by Oscar-nominated veteran director Charles Shyer.

As locals walked the sidewalks in shorts and tank tops, Hartley and fellow actors were kept inside Olive Oyl's and Gris Goods, in the air conditioning, until they emerged to shoot scenes in the 90-degree sweltering summer weather, in long pants, turtlenecks and winter coats. The actors and crew filmed into the night hours, in a snow-covered, transformed downtown Essex, after being delayed by passing thunderstorms early in the evening. Attracting a group of onlookers, the professionals went about their business making sure the lighting was just right, the snow looked real and the set was quiet while filming.

Excitement filled the air as locals who are fans of Hartley's from his role as Kevin Pearson on the hit NBC drama "This Is Us", were in awe as the star was just steps away from them. A flurry of cell phone cameras were snapping photos and filming the seasoned thespian as he hit his mark, take after take.

Becoming a popular place to pose as the perfect backdrop of a small-town American downtown, Essex has appeared in several films, most recently the Hallmark movie "Christmas at Pemberly Manor".

For the past month or so, "The Noel Diary", has been filming scenes for the movie throughout Connecticut including Madison, Bridgeport, New Canaan, Manchester and of course Essex. The crew was in town earlier in the month, over the Memorial Day weekend, but unfortunately got rained out, which is why they were back at it on Wednesday.

"The Noel Diary," will be an adaptation of Richard Paul Evan's New York Times best-selling novel of the same name. It is a holiday-themed story about a man who receives the best Christmas present he could ask for, the chance to re-write his past. The rights to the book have been obtained by Netflix. Stay tuned and be sure to look out for the movie's preview soon.

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