Aubrey Plaza is an American actress, comedian, producer and screenwriter. She is best known for her main roles in the series "Parks and Recreation Areas" and "Legion", as well as for the comedy films "Safety is not guaranteed", "Grandfather of easy virtue" and "Wedding Waste". In total, she took part in more than sixty television and full-length projects during her career.
Childhood and youth
Aubrey Plaza was born on June 26, 1984 in Wilmington, Delaware. The father of the actress is Puerto Rican, her mother has Irish and German roots. Aubrey is the eldest of three sisters. Parents named their daughter after the popular song "Aubrey" from the musical group Bread.
After graduating from high school, Aubrey Plaza entered the Tish New York School of the Arts. In the second year of college, the actress suffered a severe stroke, which temporarily paralyzed her and caused a speech disorder. Since then, Aubrey has fully recovered from the effects of the disease.
Carier start
During her studies and several years after graduating from college, Aubrey Plaza was an intern on NBC channel projects, in particular, she worked on the legendary sketch show Saturday Night Live. She also worked as a tour guide on the instructions of the studio.
In parallel, the girl was engaged in an improvisational theater, being a member of the troupe, she sololy acted as a stand-up comedian. Aubrey also starred in several web series and sketch shows created for the Internet portal Funny or Die. In 2006, she first appeared on the screen, playing a cameo role as an NBC channel trainee in the popular sitcom Studio 30.
In 2009, the first full-length project appeared in the filmography of Aubrey Plaza. She played a small role in the tragicomedy of cult director Judd Uppathow's " Jokes ", where the famous comedian Seth Rogen became her screen partner.
Parks and recreation areas
Also in 2009, the actress received one of the main roles in the NBC comedy series "Parks and Recreation". The role of the April Ladgate internship was written specifically for Plaza after she met the casting director of the project, Allison Jones. She convinced the creator of the sitcom Michael Schur to meet with a young actress, who captivated everyone with her spontaneity and unusual character.
As a result, April’s character became perhaps the most popular in the series, fans quickly fell in love with the heroine, even after the end of the project, there are many memes on the Internet based on photos of Aubrey Plaza in the image of a heroine. The sitcom lasted seven seasons and brought the young actress international popularity. In total, Aubrey Plaza appeared in one hundred twenty-four episodes of the series.
Movie work
While working on "Parks and Recreation Areas," Aubrey began to act actively in feature films. In 2010, she appeared in small roles in the romantic comedy "10 Years Later" and the new project directed by Edgar Wright, "Scott Pilgrim Against Everyone."
Two years later, the actress appeared in the directorial debut of Roman Coppolla “The breathtaking fantasies of Charlie Swan the Third,” and also played a major role in the independent science fiction comedy “Security is not guaranteed.” The film received several prestigious prizes at film festivals and was warmly received by critics. The director of the project, Colin Trevorow, three years later put on the blockbuster Jurassic World, which collected around one and a half billion dollars at world box office.
Among the notable films with Aubrey Plaza in subsequent years, the horror comedy "If Your Girlfriend is a Zombie", the festival drama "Ned Ruffle" and the romantic comedy "Heart to Shreds" can be noted. In 2016, the actress starred in two commercially successful comedies. The film "Grandfather of easy virtue", where Aubrey managed to work with the legendary actor Robert de Niro, collected more than one hundred million dollars at the box office. The painting "Wedding Waste" was able to earn a little less than eighty.
Recent projects
After participating in commercially successful projects, Aubrey Plaza starred in two independent films. In the medieval comedy The Small Clock, she played the nun along with Allison Bree and Kate Mikucci. The actress also acted as a producer of the project. The film received positive reviews from critics.
Plaza also produced the tragicomedy Ingrid Goes West, where she played a mentally unstable girl. For this role, she received excellent reviews from critics who noted the unusual choice of role and excellent acting.
In 2017, the first season of the fantasy series "Legion" based on the Marvel comic books was released. Aubrey Plaza played in a character project named Lenny and again received excellent marks for her work. The series has recently been extended for the third season. The actress also appeared in three episodes of the eleventh and twelfth seasons of the popular detective series "Think Like a Criminal" as a guest star.
Future roles
In addition to filming the new season of "Legion", Aubrey Plaza is engaged in two projects, which are scheduled for release in the coming year. The actress played a major role in the British comedy "An Evening with Beverly Luff Lynn", and also voiced one of the characters in the cartoon "Ark and Aardvark."
Personal life
Aubrey Plaza does not hide the personal life from the media as carefully as many of her colleagues. Since 2011, the girl has been dating scriptwriter and director Jeff Baina, with whom she worked together on the projects “If Your Girlfriend is a Zombie”, “Joshi” and “Small Clock”. Jeff is seven years older than Aubrey. The couple lives in Los Angeles, no children.
On the set of the series "Parks and Recreation Areas," the actress made friends with Chris Pratt, who played the husband of her heroine. They maintain a warm relationship so far, even after the end of the project.