Scranton native enjoys 1920s fashion on HBO's 'Boardwalk Empire'

Desira Pesta divides her time between acting and fashion design. So it's fitting that her TV acting debut would come on a show in which the clothes play an integral role.

The former South Scranton resident is set to make several appearances on the hit HBO drama, "Boardwalk Empire," starting with the show's Nov. 7 episode.

Ms. Pesta will play a prostitute working in a brothel run by notorious gangster Al Capone, one of several real-life figures depicted on the series, which revolves around Enoch "Nucky" Thompson (Steve Buscemi), an astonishingly corrupt politician in Prohibition-era Atlantic City.

Though she doesn't have any speaking lines, Ms. Pesta is featured in scenes with several of the show's main characters, among them Mr. Buscemi's.

"It's definitely one of the best things I've ever done," said the 2001 Scranton Preparatory School graduate, who now lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. "Steve Buscemi is so sweet and so professional. Everyone was so kind, from the lead actors to the background actors down to the crew members. No one has an ego. ... It's sort of like a big family."

The show is shot on a huge set in Brooklyn that's nearly an exact replica of what the Atlantic City boardwalk of the early 1920s looked like. Meanwhile, the clothes are all authentic, including the lingerie and Chinese silk robes Ms. Pesta's character wears.

"There's a great Halloween (episode) where we're all decked out in '20s Halloween costumes," said Ms. Pesta, the daughter of Joe and Peggy Pesta. "Everything is so beautiful. It was sort of a dream come true walking into the warehouse on the first day. Everything is lined up. Everything is authentic. It's so much fun to get fitted every time. I love fashion and the history of fashion."

Ms. Pesta first started pursuing a career in fashion design while studying in Italy as a fine arts major at Syracuse University. Upon returning to the States, she started her own clothing line of handmade coats, skirts, blouses and dresses.

She describes her designs as "a painterly midcentury look."

"I guess it could be considered a little more upscale daywear," said Ms. Pesta, who sells her wares at upscale New York City boutiques and online at www.desirapesta.com. "It's like an ode to the '50s and '60s. But with brighter colors, and with prints that are a little more ostentatious."

Acting didn't become a serious interest until about a year and a half ago. Already, though, she's landed nonspeaking parts in several films, including the Ben Stiller comedy "Greenberg," in which she can be found as a coke head in the climactic party scene, and the yet-to-be-released "My Idiot Brother," as Zooey Deschanel's roommate.

In addition, she'll appear as a pedestrian in the forthcoming drama, "W.E.," directed by the one and only Madonna. Ms. Pesta said she was personally cast by the Material Girl.