Aubrey Plaza names the definitive role of her career: “Something happened on that movie”
The evolution of Aubrey Plaza from quirky sitcom supporting character to full-fledged superstar is simply incredible.
Even with the decades of experience under her belt and being in her early 40s today, there is something about what she does that remains new. There’s a cult and mainstream sensibility to her presence that’s just right for an actress who adores mystery and complexity. Whether she does it through offbeat wit or through downbeat, quietly captivating performances, Plaza remains as fascinatingly unpredictable as ever.
Talking of the roles she has played, there are countless that you can identify as having been her most significant ones. There are her television show appearances, such as April Ludgate in Parks and Recreation or Harper Spiller in season two of The White Lotus. In movies, it can be argued that her most identifiable success was playing Julie Powers in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Anyone who wants to make a case for her role in Megalopolis needs to call a doctor immediately. Even Plaza thought that ‘Wow Platinum’ was a little odd.
Backstage tried to get to the bottom of this question during an interview with the Delaware-born star. They asked Plaza which of her roles ‘shaped her most’ as an actor. Plaza’s fondness for playing sardonic and snarky characters made her reaction completely predictable.
“That’s a really hard question,” she replied, winning the prize for stating the obvious. “I’m like, ‘Um, Dirty Grandpa?’ The role that most shaped me as an actor? Fuck you. I’m going to just say Ingrid Goes West. I don’t know why. There’s just something that happened on that movie that felt like: OK, we’re getting into some shit now.”
2017 saw Plaza play the title role of Ingrid Goes West, a black comedy about an individual who is obsessed with a seemingly ideal social media celebrity. Taylor Sloane (played by Elizabeth Olsen) is Ingrid’s idol, and so she ‘goes west’ to get to know her and become part of her life. Of course, where this is Aubrey Plaza starring, things soon take a turn and go seriously wrong. Who would ever have thought?
Ingrid Goes West was not Plaza’s initial star turn. That opportunity belonged to Safety Not Guaranteed, that sci-fi comedy, and director Colin Trevorrow’s breakout film. It was, however, one of the earliest times she was doing any sort of producing, so perhaps she does miss that part of it. Perhaps she was just partying with a future Marvel pal, Scarlet Witch. Who knows?
As for Dirty Grandpa, that’s a very, very different film. This 2016 ‘comedy’ stars Robert De Niro as Dick Kelly, a recent widower who, along with his grandson (Zac Efron), goes on a journey of sex, booze, and bad behaviour during spring break. Plaza portrays a young woman named Lenore, who gets into a surprising romance with Dick. That’s right, Robert De Niro and Aubrey Plaza once hooked up in a movie. Yes, it is indeed strange. De Niro himself was even left a little out of sorts by the whole thing. You know you’ve done something right when even Travis Bickle himself feels unnerved.
