The actor, 30, will appear as Nick in the TV adaptation of Sally Rooney’s debut novel, alongside Sasha Lane (American Honey), Jemima Kirke (Girls) and Alison Oliver.

Taking to Instagram on Wednesday night, Alwyn posted a carousel of pictures of him and the Conversations with Friends cast on set. However one of the images caused more commotion than the rest: a black and white photo of his naked, wet torso.

Since, fans have been sent into meltdown and have taken to social media to express their thirst.

What did Joe Alwyn post on Instagram?

Alwyn shared eight photos on Instagram but it took only one to get people talking. He posted them alongside the caption “cwf” (which we can assume stands for Conversations With Friends).

The behind-the-scenes post shows photos of Alwyn hanging out with his fellow cast members, shots of the landscape and an illustration of him by Kirke. The seventh photo was the eye-catching black and white image of him emerging from the water.

Alwyn’s Instagram comments are disabled so his fans had to voice their reactions on Twitter amongst themselves.

Social media reaction to Joe Alwyn’s topless photo

While it wasn’t the main image on his Instagram post, the topless picture of Alwyn has been reposted many times on Twitter.

His fans shared the picture and wrote their reactions alongside it.

@jalwyn_ wrote, “joe alwyn who gave you the right sir” while @jasminnation said, “i don’t need labels all i know is that my sexuality is 98% women and 2% buff joe alwyn.”

Meanwhile, @StanJoeAlwyn was pleased with the internet’s reaction, sharing an image of Alwyn’s name trending “because of his thirst trap,” followed by the crying emoji.

Taylor Swift fans (also known as Swifties) have came out to voice their approval of the image too. @swiftsrafferty reacted by writing, “joe alwyn is ripped omg ???? i thought he was like a soft teddy bear skskksksks [sic],” while @mytearsdynasty proclaimed, “I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THIS IS JOE ALWYN IVE NEVER SEEN HIM LIKE THIS BEFORE WEEEE.”

When is Conversations with Friends coming out?

Normal People was the first of Sally Rooney’s novels to be adapted for television, and after its success, the BBC and Hulu announced they were turning her first novel, Conversations with Friends, into a 12-part miniseries.

It tells the story of two Dublin college students who develop a strange and unexpected connection with a married couple. Alwyn and Kirke play the married couple, Nick and Melissa, while Lane and Oliver play students Bobbi and Frances.

Director Lenny Abrahamson and co-writer Alice Birch both worked on Normal People and are returning for the latest adaptation. Leanne Welham is sharing directing duties for Conversations with Friends.

It was filmed in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in 2021 and is due to be released in 2022.