The 11th edition is here with film by Joana Avillez, Julia Trotta, Julia von Boehm, Mina Stone, Miwa Susuda, Molly Rogers, Patricia Iglesias Peco, Quinn Wilson, Sandeep Salter, Zoe Latta, and Nell Verlaque. On the occasion of the series release, we spoke to each contributor about their taste and perspective, pulling at the thread of what colors their lives. First up is New York City-born Nell Verlaque, an actress known for Overcompensating and the Thanksgiving slasher films.
Sheer loneliness drove Nell Verlaque into the arts.
She didn't have many friends growing up in New York, so films, photography, and music became the stand-in — for escape, for solace, for a community she hadn't located yet. Then she discovered she could be that for other people. "Once I noticed that I could have an effect on other people, I was hooked," she says. "Or maybe I just loved the attention. Who knows."
As a kid she'd invent characters from whatever she was reading, put on accents, dance to make people laugh. Acting was the obvious conclusion. What followed — the waiting, the fickle rhythms of a career built on other people's decisions — she moves through with an unusually settled sense of self. "I've always had a solid idea of who I am. Regardless of feeling less confident on a certain day, I know what I can bring to the table, and that's always pushed me forward."
She's in her mid-twenties and notes, with some satisfaction, that she finally feels like a woman rather than a girl. To her, femininity is about knowing your power and choosing your people carefully. A room full of the right women is its own kind of electricity. "Sorry, boys."
Silk daisy chains and a classic paperback in bed.
On set the requirements are respectably niche and familiar: PG Tips, milk and honey, a pep talk from her mother.
Off set the pleasures are modest — sun on her face, a good film, a meal with someone she loves. For an actress who made her first films in her family's apartment with the dogs as cast, the constants haven't changed much. What still catches her off guard is the work itself. "Everything in acting is a test — a test of patience, a test of ability, a test of resilience, a test of fate. And you will surprise yourself with how much you are capable of."
A rose is a rose is a rose. Shop the print.
Her favorite Araks piece: a butter yellow silk bralette with matching undies. "Heaven," she says.
Lingerie on Film #11
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