PHILADELPHIA — When Irish actor Sam Keeley came to film the HBO crime thriller "Task," it was his first time in Philadelphia. He decided to search for restaurant recommendations in the Michelin Guide app but was puzzled to find the city missing from the renowned international dining franchise.

“I think with the proximity to New York, Philly doesn’t get the credit it deserves … You type in Philadelphia — zero results. And that, to me, is insane,” said Keeley, who plays the biker gang villain Jayson Wilkes in the Brad Ingelsby show that concluded earlier this month. “[Philly restaurants] win James Beard Awards all the time, you know?”

But that didn’t stop him and the rest of the cast from exploring the region’s vibrant food scene during their roughly six-month stay last year.

The actors, some from as far as South Africa, the Dominican Republic, England and Ireland, embedded themselves in Philadelphia for a summer where they hung out with locals, listened to the famous Delco accent, sang karaoke, and, Keeley said, “ate like kings all the time.”

With a little guidance from South Philly-raised "Task" director Jeremiah Zagar, many of the actors became Philly foodies. Keeley rattled off some of his favorites: “We were in Wilder, Pearl & Mary. We were in Friday Saturday Sunday and Bud & Marilyn’s … It was fantastic.”

Ingelsby, the Berwyn native also behind "Mare of Easttown," shoots locally so his portrayals of the region feel authentic on-screen. As a result, his actors get a chance to learn about the community they represent.

Sometimes, those lessons are learned the hard way.

Last year, British actor Fabien Frankel, who plays the DJ turned Delaware County detective Anthony Grasso, went viral for describing a cheesesteak from Angelo’s as a “bunch of meat and cheese in a sort-of baguette.”

“We went back to Philly and people on the street were like, ‘Dude, you don’t know how to describe a Philly cheesesteak.’ All right, brother, I’m sorry, but I’m getting it right [now],” said the "House of the Dragon" actor, who blamed the bread mix-up on his French heritage.

Today, the list of Philly restaurants he loves includes Fiorella, South Philly Barbacoa, Alpen Rose, Kalaya, and Vernick Fish.

The baguette flack notwithstanding, “I can’t speak higher about Philadelphia as a place and the people we met,” said Frankel. “It’s a very embracing culture — an embracing food culture, an embracing artistic culture.”

When in Philly, Irish actor Alison Oliver, who plays the hilariously messy state trooper Lizzie Stover, jumped on a bus tour, visited Lancaster to see the Amish, and loved learning about Philly’s arts scene — even becoming a frequent guest at one South Phlly restaurant.

“My favorite place was the Victor Cafe, where the staff are opera singers, and they sing to you while you’re receiving pasta. I think I went there, like, eight times, genuinely,” she said, chuckling.

Though the on-screen drama was dark and tense, there were a lot of laughs on set. Silvia Dionicio, the emerging star playing Emily, the adopted daughter of Mark Ruffalo’s protagonist Tom, recalled Ruffalo as an especially comical scene partner.

“In the first episode, when he’s pretending to be drunk, [Ruffalo] kept doing this thing where he would pretend to throw himself from the stairs,” she said. “I was like, ‘You’re going to give me a heart attack.’”

Unlike many of her fellow cast members, Dionicio had a deep familiarity with the region; she has even performed in Philly with her Son Jarocho band, Son Papalotl. As a kid growing up in the Dominican Republic, she visited her family in Easton and the Poconos every summer to learn English. When her aunt came to visit the "Task" set one day, she asked to be an extra.

“Brad was like, ‘Absolutely!’ My aunt, my cousin, and my uncle are extras in a scene with the Dark Hearts,” she said.

The familial vibe on set was also something that Tom Pelphrey, who delivers a complex and tender performance as the kind-hearted thief Robbie, experienced. The "Ozark" actor grew up in Howell Township, New Jersey, and attended Rutgers University. For "Task," he and his fiancee, "Flight Attendant" actor Kaley Cuoco, rented a house in the area and his family got to spend a lot of time with them at home and on location.

“My mom came out all the time to visit, and my grandmother, my aunts, my friends from home came out,” Pelphrey said. “It was very special to me, having moved to California a few years ago, to be on the East Coast, which I love, which is in my veins and my bones, and get to share this experience with them.”

“It was fun, like the joking, the playfulness of all the guys and girls in the crew — that just reminds me of the people I grew up with. Like in so many ways, it felt like being home,” he added.

“This is a real family show on-screen, and off-screen,” said Emilia Jones, the British actor who played Robbie’s niece Maeve with an unforgettable Delco accent. “Brad’s such a family guy, and he’s just so inclusive of everybody.”

Jones, along with Frankel, Keeley and other "Task" folks, often went out dancing in the city and did karaoke. She lived in Rittenhouse Square and ate “the best food ever,” including the legendary burger at a.kitchen and the pastries at J’aime.

Overall, the actors expressed a lot of love for Philadelphia.

“When something is a really good experience, you have a really warm nostalgia about the place. The thought of coming back [to Philly], or going to the Italian Market — it just makes me feel so warm and happy,” said Oliver. “When I think of the time that we had, I just have such fond memories of it.”

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