Italian-American Actress and host Nicole Peplinski is a multi-talented entertainer who also has experience writing and producing. She is perhaps best known for her Red Carpet Hosting for Stan Lee, the ingenious creator of many Marvel Comic. Nicole had worked with Stan before when she hosted for his show called “World of Heroes.”
Recently, she discussed her career and her future aspirations via an exclusive interview.
Acting, hosting, writing, and producing
Meagan Meehan (MM): How did you find your way into acting and how did that evolve to include hosting?
Nicole Peplinski (NP): It’s actually a really fun story. I was in Washington DC; in college. All my internships were at brokerage firms. I was planning on becoming a stockbroker/investment banker. Walking home from school one day, a car waved me down. I thought he was asking directions. It was B.B. King and crew! They invited me to join a group of people for drinks. It was a great conversation, and he encouraged me to consider moving to Los Angeles when I graduated and to pursue acting. It’s still a serial moment for me.
With that still lingering, two weeks later I stopped at a pizza place and there was this huge line. The owner waved me over to the front of the line. He said, “You’re here with Will Smith right?” I said no.
A man stepped out and said, “but she should be.” It was wild. It was a group traveling with Will Smith, and they said almost verbatim what BB King said!
I’m very much a woman of faith and was trying to reconcile two prominent people in the industry telling me when I graduate I should pursue acting. Here it was my last semester of school, and I was fully prepared to take a job at one of the brokerage firms I interned at.
Then it happened, Greg, the Managing Director of a brokerage firm in Georgetown asked me to come to his office. I was ready. I was going to get the sweet job offer. I sat down, and he said, “I know this sounds weird Nicole but have you ever thought of being an actress?” There’s a point when you have to consider perhaps you’re being directed.
MM: When did you first meet Stan Lee, how did you land the hostess gigs, and what was the best part of working with him?
NP: A friend of mine was hired for a job hosting for Stan Lee. She was really excited about it. Then the evening before the gig she called me panicked. She couldn’t share what it was, but she had a huge audition, and she couldn’t miss it. She asked if I could send her my most recent hosting reel and if she could refer me. She didn’t want to leave them hanging. Sure enough, they took me for the job and hired me and my friend Angela Relucio, was hired for a recurring role in the TV show, “Code Black.”
MM: You are also a writer and producer, so how did that come to be?
NP: That I would attribute to my grandmother.
My Italian, maternal Grandmother always taught me the importance of journaling. I’ve been doing it since I was a little girl. When the opportunity came, I was prepared to write. It’s nice to look back on your life and see all those puzzle pieces finding their place.
Characters, roles, and career highlights
MM: What roles have you played and which characters have been your absolute favorites?
NP: I was hired as a featured actor in the Hallmark movie, “A Kiss at Midnight;” starring Dyan Cannon and Faith Ford. I was to be a young grieving mother. The Director, Bradford May, walked over and said: “If you can cry I won’t forget it.” True to his word, that was my first acting credit. Thus far, it’s been one of my favorite and most memorable acting moments.
MM: What kinds of characters would you most like to convey in the near future and what genres of film/television/theater are you most interested in?
NP: I love that we’re seeing more and more roles for powerful women and that there are layers to them. It’s such a reflection of the times. Women today are educated, have careers, have our own money, are socially active and also have personal lives and families. There are so many dimensions to us. The truth is a drama is a strong pull for me, but there is so much comedic value to our lives that it could easily spill into that genre as well.
MM: What have been the highlights of your career thus far and where do you hope to go from here?
NP: There have been so many highlights that I truly treasure.
One aspect of it all is how my career has expanded my passions and interests. A great example of this is when someone saw my interview with Tito Ortiz, the MMA fighter. They ended up hiring me to cover “BAMA Bad Beat 20 Fights.” It was such a rush. I’d never been to a fight before, and I loved it. The fighter’s intensity and discipline are impressive, and the whole evening there’s this palpable energy. If you haven’t gone to a fight, you have to try it out.
I’m always creating a goal and dream lists. A big portion of these lists includes working on material that’s stimulating to me and working with people that interest me, that I can learn from and truly enjoy their company. I even have a list of people I’d like to meet and work with.
I read the book, “God’s Guest List;” by Debbie Macomber. That encouraged me to formulate a list of people I’d like to meet. I’ve been surprised to see how many of them I’ve already met and some even became friends with.
I’ve become very aware of the importance of self-care. I pay attention to what I consume. I practice yoga daily. I’m a big acupuncture fan, and I pray and meditate for an hour every day. Taking that time for stillness and solitude is important. It aids me in releasing what doesn’t serve me and reminds me to make space for all the abundance available.
