Aubrey Plaza
American actress and producer (born 1984)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aubrey Christina Plaza (born June 26, 1984) is an American actress, comedian, and producer. She began performing improv and sketch comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. After graduating from New York University Tisch School of the Arts, Plaza gained recognition for her breakthrough role as April Ludgate on the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation (2009–2015). She starred in the critically praised FX series Legion from 2017–2019. Plaza then starred in the second season of the HBO anthology series The White Lotus in 2022, for which she received nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award.
.jpg)
June 26, 1984
- Actress
- comedian
- producer
Aubrey Plaza | |
|---|---|
Plaza in 2024 | |
| Born | Aubrey Christina Plaza[1] June 26, 1984 Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. |
| Education | New York University (BFA) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Works | Full list |
| Spouse | |
| Partner | Christopher Abbott (2025–present) |
| Children | 1 |
Plaza made her film debut in Mystery Team (2009) and had her first leading film role in Safety Not Guaranteed (2012). She starred in the dark comedy films The Little Hours (2017) and Ingrid Goes West (2017), and the drama films Black Bear (2020) and Emily the Criminal (2022), all of which she also produced.
Early life and education
Aubrey Christina Plaza[1] was born on June 26, 1984, in Wilmington, Delaware.[2] She has two younger sisters.[3] Her parents, Bernadette and David Plaza, were aged 19 and 20 respectively at the time of her birth. Plaza said she was inspired by their work ethic, as they worked various jobs and attended night school while she was growing up; her mother eventually became an attorney and her father became a financial advisor.[a] Plaza's paternal family is Puerto Rican.[8][9] Her paternal grandfather was born in Arecibo and moved to the mainland United States when he was 17 years old.[10] She also has Taíno[11][12] and Basque heritage.[13] Her mother, who was adopted, is of Irish descent.[b]
Plaza described herself as a shy child until middle school, when she began performing in community theater.[c] Plaza said her upbringing was "very Catholic",[d] and she attended Ursuline Academy, an all-girls Catholic school. As a teenager, she was student-council president of her school, performed in theatrical productions with the Wilmington Drama League and the Delaware Theatre Company,[21][22] and made short films as a hobby.[23][24] Inspired by her "hero" Amy Poehler, Plaza took improv classes in both New York and Philadelphia; she also attended a New York Film Academy summer camp for filmmaking.[e]
During her time working at a local video store, Plaza became enamored with independent films, and discovered filmmakers that inspired her, such as John Waters and Christopher Guest. Waters' satirical film Serial Mom (1994) made a significant impact on her, and she connected with Waters' comedic sensibility.[31][29] At age 16, she represented Ursuline at a Delaware youth leadership conference convened by Joe Biden.[32][33] After graduating from Ursuline,[16] Plaza studied film and television production at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts.[21][34]
Career
2004–2009: Career beginnings
Plaza trained and performed improv and sketch comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre starting in 2004.[21][35][17] She described her work there as "an art form that is so fucking hard, and just so fun when you get it right."[26] She also performed at the Laugh Factory and The Improv.[27] She had an internship at Saturday Night Live for its 2004–2005 season, and then became an NBC page. During this apprenticeship, she appeared in a 2006 episode of the sitcom 30 Rock.[4][36] Though being a page at 30 Rockefeller Plaza was a lower position than her SNL internship, it is a "legendary" and highly selective program.[37] She was also in two short films in 2006, Killswitch and In Love.[38] In 2008, she was part of an Improv Everywhere sketch where she and others took an entire desktop computer and monitor to a Starbucks in New York City.[39][34] Plaza had a recurring role in Maggie Carey's web series The Jeannie Tate Show, played the role of Robin Gibney in ESPN's Mayne Street (2008),[34][40] and appeared in the first episode of "Terrible Decisions with Ben Schwartz" on Funny or Die.[41]
In 2009, she made her feature film debut in Derrick Comedy's Mystery Team. She then played a standup comic and Seth Rogen's love interest in the black comedy-drama film Funny People, directed by Judd Apatow.[34] As she did not have experience performing standup, she signed up for open mic nights at comedy clubs and bars in New York City to prepare for the role.[27][23] For her audition tape, she performed and recorded five minutes of standup comedy at her friend Donald Glover's standup show.[42][40] When Plaza flew to Los Angeles for Funny People, the film's casting director Allison Jones asked her if she wanted to attend other meetings while she was in the city. Jones set up a meeting with Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, who were developing Parks and Recreation. At the meeting, they told her the idea for the show's pilot and that they were considering giving Amy Poehler's character an assistant who was a doltish blonde. Plaza pitched them instead the character of a smart intern who is at the department only for college credit and does not care about the job, which Plaza thought would be an interesting, comedic contrast with Poehler's character. They liked the concept for the character and created April Ludgate.[43][14][6][42] Plaza, who said that in real life she was like Poehler's earnestly hard-working character, took inspiration from her younger sister for April's apathetic disposition.[44][45][5] Plaza played the role from 2009 to 2015. She received praise for her performance, and April was considered one of the show's breakout characters.[2][46]
2010–2016: Rise in film and television
While Plaza was in Los Angeles for Funny People and Parks and Recreation, Allison Jones also recommended that she audition for Edgar Wright's romantic action comedy film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010). Plaza was cast in the film, playing the supporting character Julie Powers.[34][40] On March 12, 2010, Plaza performed at A Night of 140 Tweets: A Celebrity Tweetathon for Haiti, produced by Rob Huebel, Paul Scheer, Ben Stiller, and Mike Rosenstein, at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles.[47] In the breaks between filming Parks and Recreation seasons, Plaza appeared in other projects, films and television series. She appeared in a CollegeHumor short alongside Jason Bateman and Will Arnett. In 2011, she had a recurring role in the sketch comedy series Portlandia,[34] and guest starred as "The Princess" in the comedic sci-fi web series Troopers on CollegeHumor.[48][49] She also appeared in the comedy-drama film Damsels in Distress (2011) and the romantic comedy 10 Years (2011).[50][51]
In 2012, Plaza had her first starring role in a major film in the comedy Safety Not Guaranteed, playing a magazine intern who answers a curious want ad.[34] Her performance received positive reviews, and she won the award for Breakthrough Performance (Female) at the 2012 Young Hollywood Awards.[52][42] In 2013, she portrayed the character Sacagawea in the Drunk History episode "Nashville" during a segment on Lewis and Clark's expedition.[53] In 2013, she also had the starring role in the CBS Film The To Do List. In an impromptu attempt to promote the film, Plaza ran onto the stage at the 2013 MTV Movie Awards and grabbed Will Ferrell's award for Comedic Genius, inspired by Kanye West's interruption of Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, with a drink in hand while the film's name was written across her chest. She was ejected from the studio lot where the ceremony was held.[54]
Plaza voiced Eska in the animated fantasy action television series The Legend of Korra (2013–2014).[34] She also voiced Grumpy Cat in the Lifetime Network's television film Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever (2014).[55] Plaza starred in the 2014 horror comedy film Life After Beth about a young woman who returns from the dead, written and directed by Jeff Baena, and in Hal Hartley's drama film Ned Rifle (2014).[34]
In 2016, Plaza starred in Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates alongside Zac Efron, Anna Kendrick, and Adam DeVine. Her role as the rebellious Tatiana earned her critical praise. Then, she was a guest star on HarmonQuest, as a gnome named "Hawaiian Coffee" and portrayed Aaron Burr in the "Hamilton" episode of Drunk History.[56] She also provided a guest voice for the SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Mall Girl Pearl" with Betty White.[57] That same year, she portrayed Cat Adams, a contract killer, first in Season 11 of the CBS television series Criminal Minds, and then again in Season 12 and 15.[58] Also in 2016 she played Lenore in Dirty Grandpa beside Zoey Deutch, Zac Efron and Robert De Niro.
2017–2021: Career expansion
In 2017, Plaza starred in and produced the films The Little Hours and Ingrid Goes West. The former is a black comedy about medieval nuns loosely based on stories from The Decameron.[34] Both films premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. In Ingrid Goes West, Plaza portrayed the social media obsessed fan of an influencer played by Elizabeth Olsen. Variety film critic Peter Debruge praised Plaza's performance writing: "Plaza's tortured performance captures all of this, which is saying something for an actress whose blasé persona hinges on the fact that she can't be bothered: Nobody plays ambivalence better, and yet, Plaza allows herself to seem vulnerable here."[59] The film won the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature. The following year, she starred in the indie comedy An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn.[60]
From 2017 to 2019, Plaza portrayed both Amahl Farouk / Shadow King and Lenny Busker in the FX series Legion,[61] which was critically praised along with Plaza's performance.[62][63][46] The role of Lenny was originally written for a middle aged man. When Plaza was offered it, she requested that the character's dialogue and actions remain, as she did not want it "being tied down to anything gender-wise".[64][65] David Bowie was an inspiration for her approach to the role.[64] She was given creative freedom with the character and collaborated with directors and choreographers on sequences that were ambiguously described on the page.[66] In 2019 and 2020, Plaza hosted the Independent Spirit Awards.[67] In 2019, she starred in Child's Play, a reboot of the 1988 film, as Andy's mother who brings home a killer doll, Chucky.[68]
In 2020, Plaza played Riley Johnson in the romantic comedy Happiest Season,[69] and produced and starred in the independent experimental thriller Black Bear, garnering critical acclaim for her performance.[70][71][72] Black Bear follows a filmmaker who retreats to a cabin in the mountains to find inspiration for her next film.[73] NME wrote that the film "examin[es] the power dynamics in filmmaking",[26] and Collider considered it an exploration of "human relationships, gender dynamics, and celebrity".[74]
In 2021, Plaza wrote and made her directorial debut with the episode "Quiet Illness" of the Showtime anthology series Cinema Toast.[75] Created by Jeff Baena, the series reinvents imagery from public domain films to tell different stories. In crafting "Quiet Illness", Plaza was inspired by actress Loretta Young's experiences and footage of her appearances. She edited various film and television clips starring Young into a psychological thriller about a woman's self-esteem, and cast Christina Ricci as a voice narrator.[76][77] She described the project as "trippy" with a "pandemic-filming style".[26] Plaza said that she has always had an interest in directing, and she had been writing a project during the COVID-19 pandemic.[77]
2022–present: Critical acclaim
Plaza produced and starred as the titular character in the independent film Emily the Criminal (2022), portraying a woman saddled with student debt and compelled into criminal activity.[78] Her performance and the film received critical acclaim,[17][79][80] with The New York Times calling it "wonderfully nuanced",[81] Little White Lies writing that it is "perhaps Plaza’s best performance to date",[82] and the Chicago Sun-Times deeming it "richly layered work" and "one of the best performances of the year in one of the best movies of the year".[83] She also appeared in the film Spin Me Round, which premiered at the South by Southwest film festival in 2022.[84] In the second season of the HBO anthology series The White Lotus, Plaza portrayed Harper, a lawyer vacationing in Sicily with her husband.[85][86] For her performance in the series, she received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series and a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film.[87][88] In February 2022, Plaza contributed original poetry to Eating Salad Drunk, a comedian poetry anthology (edited by author Gabe Henry) that benefited Comedy Gives Back, a nonprofit supporting comedians facing financial hardship from the Covid-19 pandemic.[89] On August 25, 2022, the adult animated sitcom Little Demon premiered on FXX, which features the voices of Plaza (who is also an executive producer), Danny DeVito, and Lucy DeVito.[90] In October 2022, Plaza was given the Artist of Distinction Award at the Newport Beach Film Festival.[91]
At the 2023 Independent Spirit Awards, Plaza received a nomination for Best Lead Performance for Emily the Criminal, as well as a nomination for Best First Feature as producer.[92] In January 2023, she hosted Saturday Night Live for the first time and appeared in multiple sketches.[93] In July, it was announced that she would be making her stage debut in an off-Broadway revival of John Patrick Shanley's Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, a two-hander about strangers who become lovers after meeting at a dive bar, opposite her Black Bear costar Christopher Abbott.[94][95][96] She was nominated for the Drama League Distinguished Performance Award.[97] Time magazine named Plaza one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2023.[98]
In 2024, Plaza and her Parks and Recreation costar Nick Offerman reunited in a Mountain Dew ad that aired during the Super Bowl LVIII broadcast.[99] She was confirmed to be starring in John Waters's first film in over 20 years, Liarmouth, based on his novel of the same name.[100] Plaza portrays the future self of Elliott Labrant in the comedy film My Old Ass (2024), and TV presenter Wow Platinum in Francis Ford Coppola's epic science fiction drama Megalopolis (2024).[101] She portrayed Rio Vidal / Death in the Disney+ miniseries Agatha All Along, set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), which premiered on September 18, 2024.[102]
In August 2025, it was announced that Plaza would produce and star in the upcoming biopic The Heidi Fleiss Story, in which she will portray former Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss.[103] In April 2026, the adult animated series Kevin was released on Amazon Prime Video, which Plaza co-created, executive produced, and starred in,[104] but in June 2026, Plaza announced Amazon Prime Video's decision to cancel Kevin after its first season.[105] In May 2026, it was announced that she will star in the upcoming film Tomorrow Is a Drag, written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan.[106]
Personal life
From 2009 to 2010, Plaza dated actor Michael Cera, whom she met while filming Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.[107] From 2011–2024, Plaza was in a relationship with writer and director Jeff Baena. After meeting at a game night, they became frequent collaborators, with Plaza starring in four of Baena's films.[108] They married on their tenth anniversary in 2021.[109] After they separated in September 2024, Plaza moved to New York but remained in frequent contact with Baena.[110] On January 3, 2025, Baena died by suicide at his home in Los Angeles.[111]
As of 2026, Plaza lives in New York with her partner, actor Christopher Abbott.[112][113] They met on the set of the film Black Bear, then reunited in the off-Broadway production of Danny and the Deep Blue Sea.[114] Plaza gave birth to their daughter in 2026.[115]
At the age of 20, Plaza had a stroke which caused brief paralysis and temporary expressive aphasia, followed by a minor transient ischemic attack several years later.[f] Plaza experiences social anxiety.[g]
Acting credits
According to the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, Plaza's most critically acclaimed films include Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010), Safety Not Guaranteed (2012), Ned Rifle (2014), Ingrid Goes West (2017), The Little Hours (2017), Black Bear (2020), Happiest Season (2020), Emily the Criminal (2022), and My Old Ass (2024).
Her most critically acclaimed television projects include Parks and Recreation (2009–2015), Legion (2017–2019), Calls (2021), Little Demon (2022), The White Lotus (2022), Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (2023) and Agatha All Along (2024).[122]
Awards and nominations
Discography
| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | "Plot Song 1 (feat. Martha Plimpton)" | 2276: A Levinson Bros & Rob Kutner Presentation[163] |
| "Plot Song 2" | ||
| 2024 | "The Ballad of The Witches' Road (Cover Version)"[164] | Agatha All Along: Vol. 1 (Episodes 1-5) (Original Soundtrack) |
| 2025 | "Honey Don't (Cast Recording)" | Honey Don't (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) |
Bibliography
Notes
- Shared with the cast.
- As a producer.
- Shared with "the entire cast of Megalopolis".
