How Judy Garland became Aubrey Plaza’s obsession
Perhaps Aubrey Plaza is best known for her role as April Ludgate in the award-winning NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation but is also noted for starring in the second season of the highly-lauded The White Lotus, created by Mike White for HBO. Elsewhere, Plaza has performed in films such as Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Black Bear and Emily the Criminal.
When it comes to Plaza’s biggest entertainment loves, no, obsessions, there is no other than the American actress and singer Judy Garland. Garland is best known for playing Dorothy in the 1939 film version of The Wizard of Oz but also drew acclaim for he recorded music and her other movie roles such as A Star is Born.
Plaza once told NME of the first album she ever bought, Judy at Carnegie Hall. She said, “I’m pretty sure that when I was about 12, I bought my local music store’s entire stock of Judy Garland albums. I did a book report on her for school, so I started watching her movies and became kind of infatuated with her.”
Plaza also once told W Magazine about her favourite film and couldn’t help but name A Star Is Born, the original Judy Garland version, of course. “A Star Is Born is probably one of my all-time favourite movies,” Plaza said. “I was very obsessed with Judy Garland growing up.”
Elsewhere, with the Washington Post, Plaza opened up even further on her love for Garland. She said, “I, for the longest time, have been a crazy Judy Garland fan. I mean, I was obsessed with her growing up. It was unhealthy. The first thing I think about is going back in time to see her live or hang out with her.”
As for how the obsession began, Plaza noted that it arose from a school project in which she had to report on a person from the 1960s. “I randomly chose Judy Garland because she died in 1969,” Plaza admitted, “so I did a whole thing on her. Then I started reading all of these different articles about her and doing all this Internet research about her.”
“I was so fascinated by her, and then I started listening to her music because of that, and then I started watching her movies,” Plaza continued. “I remember seeing Meet Me in St. Louis and A Star is Born and just feeling completely in love with her and feeling like she was just the most amazing performer that’s ever existed.”
In fact, Plaza loves Garland so much that she actually named her dog after the entertainment icon. One is called Frances, Garland’s real name (Frances Ethel Gumm), and the other is called Stevie. Evidently, Plaza has an obsession with Garland that goes far beyond her childhood years.
