Last to Leave
Last to Leave is a film interview podcast hosted by Heather Elaine Abbott & Zoey Danielson. The show is all about giving a voice to a wide variety of collaborators in film & tv. Those last to leave set are not often the first to be interviewed and this show seeks to share their stories!
Last to Leave
S4E7 - Desira Pesta - Sing Sing - The Fabric of Becoming Human Again
Join your hosts, Heather Elaine Abbott and Zoey Danielson, as they step inside the heart of Sing Sing, a quietly radical, deeply human film starring Colman Domingo and a cast of formerly incarcerated men telling their own story. In Part One of our two-part Sing Sing special, we’re joined by costume designer Desira Pesta (@desirapesta), who helps us unpack the film’s layered beauty, one look at a time.
From sourcing prison uniforms to designing theatrical dreamscapes, Desira reveals how she built a wardrobe rooted in truth, care, and collaboration. We talk about the intimacy of fittings, the power of clothing to transform and transport, and what it means to honor real people through costume.
Plus, Desira shares what it was like to work with director Greg Kwedar and the cast inside the actual Sing Sing prison proving that costume design can be just as emotionally resonant as the script itself.
A big thank you to Lee Walls (@Unapologetical.lee on Instagram and @Lee_FinalVer on Twitter) for our amazing Logo, M.L. Abbott for our theme song and Cody Schlabaugh for our cover photo (website).
A special thanks to Breanna Benedict for being our incredible Social Media Coordinator (website)!
We launched a companion newsletter to the podcast called First to Arrive! Subscribe here: lasttoleave.substack.com
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