Last October, The Pitch chronicled Kansas City fashion designer Peggy Noland's varied career. At the time, she was shuttling between New York and Los Angeles, putting on shows, working on music videos and revamping her 18th Street store.
Noland told us just how willing she was to take on anything that inspired her, eschewing the titles that could limit her opportunities. True to her word, Noland is making her film debut on Friday in the short film Holy Moly by local filmmaker Christopher Good.
Noland plays Tabitha, a fairy godmother of sorts sent by the makers of a "male enhancement" drug to turn depressed loser Sammy's life around after a breakup.
Tabitha, Noland says, was inspired partly by the Fashion Witch, a character she plays in Whoop Dee Doo, and partly by life coaches on the MTV show Made, which is another role she is pining to get.
Noland, who is also a teacher at the Kansas City Art Institute and a mentor to students brave enough to intern at her shop, is clearly comfortable as the drill sergeant Tabitha. Throughout the film, she instructs Sammy (played hilariously by Jimmy Darrah, who hits every dorky line) in the skills every man should have: shooting a gun, driving a fast car and being decisive. Sammy attempts to use his new talents to woo back his ex through a series of pathetic voice mails, while Tabitha has other ideas for her protege.
Being on film sets isn't new for Noland -- she has designed costumes and directed fashion for a feature-length
film's worth of music videos. But
having the camera focused on her has been a learning experience, she says. For instance, when she is designing clothes for a band like the Gossip, she works months ahead of the shooting date. As an actor, that level of preparation isn't necessary.
"I had the entire script memorized before we started shooting. But something I learned was, I didn't need to have it memorized at all," Noland says. "I just needed to have a few lines memorized at a time. So that was kind of a pleasant surprise, that I was over-prepared."
Noland says her interest in film grew during the 18 days it took to shoot Holy Moly this winter. She says she is now pursuing two other film projects, including a fashion video showcasing her work. When asked for a teaser about that project, Noland revealed that there will be no people in the movie, and it will focus on "hundreds of mice."
Honestly, what else would you expect from Noland?
Holy Moly will premiere at the Tivoli
Cinemas at 9:20 p.m. Friday, March 25. The show is free.
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