Britany Nola video & interview – Exclusive
I, rather fantastically, recently spent two days holed-up in a Manhattan hotel room with a Playmate and a whole lotta alcohol. Without wishing to disappoint though, this account is neither as salacious nor as decadent as its opening sentence suggests. The alcohol was incredibly cheap wine (boxed) and Britany Nola, while being Playboy‘s Miss November 2012, certainly does not adhere to the stereotypical preconceptions of a nudie model.
To the uninitiated, Britany Nola is a New York-based model, actress and aspiring screenwriter, born in Canada to a white mother and black father. She is a strong advocate for human rights, in particular LGBT. She is also an array of juxtapositions and intriguing contradictions. Often, she is contemplative and reflective, taking long pauses to consider her words, then a few seconds later she will jump onto the ample hotel bed and do the two-step, all impish of eye and cheeky of smile. She is cripplingly fearful of large groups of people, yet our ventures out of the hotel room into the big bad world – to her modelling agency’s party and to a casting – showed how she brings irrepressible colour and energy to every scenario into which she steps. For someone who is incredibly uncomfortable being around others, she has a magnetism that draws people as the moon draws water. A contradiction. She is shy and loud and introverted and funny all at once. Within 30 seconds she can display the grace of a black-and-white film goddess and the brash silliness of a next-door tomboy. From iconic beauty to nose-picker and back again in the blink of an eye. A wonderful contraction.
As the above Britany Nola video explains, her passion does not necessarily lie with modelling. She is irrefutably a model – and a very striking one with an eclectic and edgy portfolio – but her aspirations lie in filmmaking. Her face lights up with wide eyes and a pearly-white smile when she talks of how she’s currently writing her debut screenplay. She speaks of Roman Polanski being a great influence and her heart melts when we discuss legendary actress Beatrice Dalle (after whom she named her dog). Her encyclopaedic knowledge of classic movies sees her casually throw references to obscure 60s French films into our conversations. And not in a pretentious way, but rather as though there is nothing unusual about dropping William Klein’s Qui êtes vous, Polly Maggoo? into everyday chitchat.
It is this passion and knowledge of film, along with an excellent application of the written word and the desire to create great art that leaves me in no doubt Britany Nola will deliver very special things from her eventual position behind the camera. It is something we should await with anticipation.
As well as making the above film, I shot some photos of Britany in Manhattan. Check back for the full editorial soon. For now, below is a little taster.
Words, pictures and video by Bobby Townsend. For more Britany Nola and more stories like this, follow somethingyousaid on Facebook.
