Merrick Goes Hollywood: Kate Winslet in Town Shooting HBO Miniseries

Filming of an HBO miniseries starring Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet has begun in the Merrick Gables. 

Winslet, along wih the rest of the cast and crew of "Mildred Pierce" spent this afternoon strolling along Henry Street and Richard Street in between takes. 

"I think it's great," said Merokean Gail Stamler of the filming. "The crew has been very accomodating."

Stambler's Richard Street home now has several palm trees standing in the middle of its lawn to blend in with the set meant to resemble Los Angeles in the 1930s.  Several homes in the area were also decked out with new Terra cotta roofs.

Filming in Merrick began yesterday and is expected to continue through the end of next week.

Joe Guest, an HBO location manager, said in March that the cable network had searched all over New York for a neighborhood that closely matched the Los Angeles setting.

"The Gables neighborhood has homes of a unique architectural style, matching California bungalow-style stucco homes of the 1930s," Guest said.  "We are thrilled with the positive local response and look forward to working with the residents and the Town of Hempstead to coordinate filming in the Gables."

"Mildred Pierce," which began filming in April in locations throughout the state, is the story of a middle-class housewife's struggle to support her family during the Great Depression.

Besides Winslet, who won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2008, the series also stars Guy Pearce, Evan Rachel Wood and Melissa Leo.