American actress Aubrey Plaza began her career performing improv and sketch comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. She made her feature film debut in the 2009 comedy film Mystery Team and gained recognition for playing April Ludgate on the political satire mockumentary sitcom Parks and Recreation (2009–2015). She had her first lead film role as a magazine intern investigating a classified ad in the science fiction comedy Safety Not Guaranteed (2012) and voiced characters in the animated film Monsters University (2013) and television series The Legend of Korra (2013–2014). In 2014, she starred in the horror comedy Life After Beth and Hal Hartley's drama film Ned Rifle.
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From 2017 to 2019, Plaza gained praise for her portrayal of Shadow King and Lenny Busker in the acclaimed FX superhero series Legion. She produced and starred in the black comedy film The Little Hours (2017) about medieval nuns and the dramedy Ingrid Goes West (2017) about a mentally ill social media stalker. She then starred in the 2019 horror film Child's Play. In 2020, Plaza played Riley Johnson in the romantic comedy Happiest Season and starred in and produced the experimental thriller Black Bear, for which she received critical acclaim. She made her directorial debut and wrote the episode "Quiet Illness" for the anthology series Cinema Toast (2021). In 2022, she portrayed the title character of the crime film Emily the Criminal, which she produced, and the lawyer Harper Stiller in the second season of HBO's anthology series The White Lotus, to further acclaim. She garnered Independent Spirit and Gotham Award nominations for the former,[1][2] and an Emmy and Golden Globe Award nomination for the latter.[3][4] In 2024, she has portrayed the future Elliott Labrant in the comedy-drama My Old Ass, Rio Vidal in the Disney+ MCU miniseries Agatha All Along, and TV presenter Wow Platinum in Francis Ford Coppola's science fiction drama Megalopolis.
Acting credits
editFilm
edit| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Killswitch | Girl with Head Wound | Short film | |
| In Love | Julie | |||
| 2009 | Mystery Team | Kelly Peters | ||
| Funny People | Daisy Danby | |||
| 2010 | Scott Pilgrim vs. the World | Julie Powers | ||
| 2011 | Damsels in Distress | Debbie | ||
| Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You | Jeanine Breemer | |||
| 10 Years | Olivia | |||
| 2012 | Safety Not Guaranteed | Darius Britt | ||
| A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III | Marnie | [5] | ||
| 2013 | From Up on Poppy Hill | Sachiko Hirokouji | English dub | |
| She Said, She Said | Woman in Park | Short film | ||
| Failure | Woman | |||
| The End of Love | Herself | |||
| The To Do List | Brandy Klark | |||
| Charlie Countryman | Ashley | |||
| Monsters University | Claire Wheeler | Voice | [6] | |
| Center Jenny | Monika Nark | |||
| 2014 | Life After Beth | Beth Slocum | [7] | |
| About Alex | Sarah | [8] | ||
| Ned Rifle | Susan | [9] | ||
| Playing It Cool | Mallory | [10] | ||
| 2015 | Addicted to Fresno | Kelly | ||
| The Driftless Area | Jean | |||
| 2016 | Dirty Grandpa | Lenore | ||
| Joshy | Jen | |||
| The Pistol Shrimps | Herself | Documentary | [11] | |
| Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates | Tatiana Darcy | |||
| 2017 | Take My Nose... Please! | Herself | Documentary | |
| The Little Hours | Fernanda | Also producer | [12] | |
| Ingrid Goes West | Ingrid Thorburn | |||
| 2018 | An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn | Lulu Danger | ||
| 2019 | Child's Play | Karen Barclay | [13] | |
| 2020 | Black Bear | Allison | Also producer | [14] |
| Happiest Season | Riley Johnson | [15] | ||
| 2021 | Best Sellers | Lucy Stanbridge | [16] | |
| King Knight | Pine Cone | Voice | ||
| 2022 | Emily the Criminal | Emily Benetto | Also producer | [17] |
| Spin Me Round | Kat | [18] | ||
| 2023 | Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre | Sarah Fidel | [19] | |
| 2024 | My Old Ass | Older Elliott | [20] | |
| Megalopolis | Wow Platinum | [21] | ||
| 2025 | Animal Friends † | TBA | Post-production | [22] |
| TBA | The Ark and the Aardvark † | Brain | Voice; Post-production | [23] |
| Honey Don't! † | TBA | Post-production | [24][25] |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 30 Rock | NBC page | Episode: "Tracy Does Conan" |
| 2009–2015 | Parks and Recreation | April Ludgate | 125 episodes |
| 2011 | Portlandia | Beth / Bookstore Customer | 3 episodes |
| Troopers | The Princess | Web series | |
| 2012 | NTSF:SD:SUV:: | The Rememberer | Episode: "Wasila Hills Cop" |
| 2013–2014 | The Legend of Korra | Eska | Voice; 12 episodes |
| 2013 | Drunk History | Sacagawea | Episode: "Nashville" |
| Maron | Herself | Episode: "Jen Moves to L.A." | |
| 2014–2015 | Welcome to Sweden | Herself | 6 episodes |
| 2014 | Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever | Grumpy Cat | Voice; television film |
| 2015 | Golan the Insatiable | Dylan Beekler (voice) | 6 episodes |
| Castle | Lucy | Voice; Uncredited 4 episodes | |
| 2016 | SpongeBob SquarePants | Nocturna | Voice Episode: "Mall Girl Pearl" |
| Comedy Bang! Bang! | Herself / Lady Aubrey | Episode: "Aubrey Plaza Wears a Velvet Off-the-Shoulder Gown with Flowers in Her Hair" | |
| RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars | Herself / Guest Judge | Episode: "Family That Drags Together" | |
| Drunk History | Aaron Burr | Episode: "Hamilton" | |
| HarmonQuest | Hawaiian Coffee | Episode: "Manoa Prison Hole" | |
| 2016–2020 | Criminal Minds | Cat Adams | 4 episodes |
| 2017 | Easy | Lindsay | Episode: "Package Thief" |
| 2017–2019 | Legion | Amahl Farouk / Shadow King Lenny Busker[a] |
27 episodes |
| 2019 | 34th Independent Spirit Awards | Herself (host) | Television special |
| Drunk History | Cleopatra | Episode: "Bad Blood" | |
| 2019–2020 | Crank Yankers | Bernadette | Voice; 2 episodes |
| 2020 | 35th Independent Spirit Awards | Herself (host) | Television special |
| Muppets Now | Herself | Episode: "Sleep Mode" | |
| A Parks and Recreation Special | April Ludgate | Television special | |
| Sarah Cooper: Everything's Fine | Ashley | ||
| 2021 | Cinema Toast | Karen | Voice; Episode: "Quiet Illness"; also co-executive producer, writer, and director |
| Calls | Dr. Rachel Wheating | Voice; 2 episodes | |
| Duncanville | Nina | Voice; Episode: "Das Banana Boot" | |
| 2022 | The White Lotus | Harper Spiller | 7 episodes |
| Little Demon | Laura Feinberg | Voice; also executive producer | |
| The Simpsons | Amber Duffman | Voice; Episode: "From Beer to Paternity" | |
| 2023 | Saturday Night Live | Herself | Episode: "Aubrey Plaza/Sam Smith" |
| Scott Pilgrim Takes Off | Julie Powers | Voice; 5 episodes[26] | |
| 2024 | Monsters at Work | Claire Wheeler-Worthington | Voice; 3 episodes[27] |
| Agatha All Along | Rio Vidal / Death | 6 episodes | |
| TBA | Emily the Criminal † | Emily Benetto | Executive producer[28] |
| Kevin † | — | Writer and executive producer[29] |
Theatre
edit| Year | Title | Role | Director | Location | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Rebel Without a Cause | Judy Brown | Stewart Stern | American Theatre of Actors, Off-Broadway | [30] |
| 2023–24 | Danny and the Deep Blue Sea | Roberta | John Patrick Shanley | Lucille Lortel Theatre, Off-Broadway | [31] |
Music videos
edit| Year | Title | Artist(s) | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | "Hollywood Cemetery Forever Sings" | Father John Misty | Girl | [32] |
| 2013 | "Rouse Yourself" | JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound | [33] | |
| 2014 | "Bona Fide" | Cassorla | Woman in Boat | [34] |
Filmmaking credits
edit| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | The Little Hours | No | Yes | No | [35] | |
| Ingrid Goes West | No | Yes | No | [35] | ||
| 2020 | Black Bear | No | Yes | No | [36] | |
| 2021 | Cinema Toast | Yes | No | Yes | TV series; episode "Quiet Illness" | [37] |
| 2022 | Little Demon | No | Executive | No | TV series | [38] |
| Emily the Criminal | No | Yes | No | [39] |
Notes
edit- ^ She played a dual role in the show.
References
edit- ^ Davis, Clayton (November 22, 2022). "Independent Spirit Awards Nominations: 'Everything Everywhere' Leads with Eight Noms". Variety. Archived from the original on December 15, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
- ^ Shanfeld, Ethan (October 25, 2022). "'Tár' Leads Gotham Awards Nominations: Full List". Variety. Archived from the original on October 25, 2022. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
- ^ France, Lisa Respers (July 12, 2023). "'Succession' and 'The Last of Us' lead Emmy nominations". CNN.
- ^ "Golden Globes 2023: Nominations for the 80th Golden Globes Have Been Announced". Golden Globes. December 12, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
- ^ Sneider, Jeff (October 5, 2011). "Aubrey Plaza joins cast of 'Charlie Swan'". Variety. Archived from the original on January 20, 2012. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
- ^ Gallagher, Brian (April 15, 2013). "'Monsters University' Fraternity and Sorority Gallery". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on April 19, 2013. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
- ^ McNary, Dave; Setoodeth, Ramin (January 24, 2014). "Sundance: Aubrey Plaza's 'Life After Beth' Picked Up by A24, DirecTV". Variety. Archived from the original on April 18, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
- ^ Highfill, Samantha (April 15, 2014). "Tribeca: Aubrey Plaza, Max Greenfield bond in 'About Alex'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 16, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
- ^ McNary, Dave (March 13, 2014). "Aubrey Plaza Joins Hal Hartley's 'Ned Rifle'". Variety. Archived from the original on April 16, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
- ^ Sneider, Jeff (October 2, 2012). "Anthony Mackie, Aubrey Plaza eye 'Splintered Thing'". Variety. Archived from the original on April 19, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
- ^ Thompson, Victoria; Valiente, Alexa (July 1, 2022). "Aubrey Plaza and the Pistol Shrimps: Meet the Basketball Team Made Up of Actresses, Writers, Comedians, Models". ABC News. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
- ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (April 26, 2016). "Jeff Baena's 'The Little Hours' Acquired by Concourse; Alison Brie, Dave Franco Star – Cannes". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 29, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
- ^ "Aubrey Plaza, Brian Tyree Henry join Child's Play reboot". Entertainment Weekly. September 20, 2018. Archived from the original on July 22, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
- ^ N'Duka, Amanda (July 29, 2019). "Aubrey Plaza, Christopher Abbott & Sarah Gadon to Star in 'Black Bear' Thriller from Lawrence Michael Levine". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 29, 2019. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
- ^ Galuppo, Mia (January 22, 2020). "Mary Steenburgen, Dan Levy Join Kristen Stewart in Gay Rom-Com 'Happiest Season'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 22, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Athony (November 5, 2019). "Aubrey Plaza Joins Michael Caine in 'Best Sellers'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 6, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (August 18, 2021). "Aubrey Plaza to Star in Low Spark Films' 'Emily the Criminal', Will Also Produce". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 30, 2021. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (May 6, 2021). "Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, Alessandro Nivola Top Ensemble Comedy 'Spin Me Round' from Limelight & Duplass Brothers". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 9, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (December 2, 2020). "Aubrey Plaza Joins Jason Statham in Guy Ritchie's New Untitled Thriller". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 9, 2022). "'My Old Ass': Megan Park Directing Her Second Film; LuckyChap & Indian Paintbrush Producing". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (August 22, 2022). "Aubrey Plaza Joins Adam Driver in Francis Coppola's 'Megalopolis'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 26, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (April 18, 2023). "Ryan Reynolds, Jason Momoa, Vince Vaughn & Aubrey Plaza Set for Legendary's Live-Action/Animation Hybrid 'Animal Friends'; Peter Atencio Directing R-Rated Road Trip Adventure Pic". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
- ^ McNary, Dave (September 14, 2017). "Aubrey Plaza, Jenny Slate Join Miles Teller's 'Ark and the Aardvark' Animated Movie". Variety. Archived from the original on September 21, 2018. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
- ^ Bergeson, Samantha (January 24, 2024). "Ethan Coen's Cult Dark Comedy 'Honey Don't!' to Star Chris Evans, Aubrey Plaza, and Margaret Qualley". IndieWire. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
- ^ @NMFilmOffice (May 23, 2024). "That's a wrap on "Honey Don't!" The Ethan Coen feature starring Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza, & Chris Evans filmed in and around ABQ & Belen and employed over 150 New Mexicans. Thank you for allowing us on set & seeing this detective investigative story come to life!" (Tweet). Retrieved May 25, 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (March 30, 2023). "'Scott Pilgrim' Netflix Anime Series Reunites Film's Cast, from Michael Cera to Chris Evans". Variety. Archived from the original on April 2, 2023. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
- ^ Haring, Bruce (October 15, 2023). "Disney's 'Monsters at Work' Season Two Guest Cast Unveiled at New York Comic Con". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 15, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- ^ White, Peter (May 1, 2024). "'Emily the Criminal' Series Adaptation in the Works from Legendary TV & Exec Producer Aubrey Plaza". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 30, 2024). "Aubrey Plaza & Joe Wengert Animated Series 'Kevin' Ordered by Prime Video". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
- ^ "'Rebel Without a Cause' at American Theatre of Actors". October 19, 2017. Archived from the original on January 6, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
- ^ Frank, Jason P. (July 26, 2023). "Christopher Abbott and Aubrey Plaza to Take a Dip in 'Danny and the Deep Blue Sea'". Vulture. Archived from the original on May 9, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
- ^ "Father John Misty: All Good Things Occur on the Floor". Interview. October 23, 2012. Archived from the original on June 29, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
- ^ JCBrooksVEVO (June 21, 2013). "Rouse Yourself". Archived from the original on July 29, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2015 – via YouTube.
- ^ "See Aubrey Plaza Play the Sax in a Music Video". Vulture. January 7, 2014. Archived from the original on August 11, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
- ^ a b "Aubrey Plaza takes charge by losing control in 'Ingrid Goes West'". Los Angeles Times. August 4, 2017. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
- ^ "How the making of Black Bear was just as surreal as the film itself". Entertainment Weekly. December 7, 2020. Archived from the original on May 10, 2024. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
- ^ "Shining a Light: Aubrey Plaza on Her Directorial Debut". RogerEbert.com. May 3, 2021. Archived from the original on August 5, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
- ^ "Aubrey Plaza, Danny DeVito to Star in Animated Horror Sitcom 'Little Demon' From FXX". Variety. May 11, 2021. Archived from the original on August 2, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
- ^ "2023 Emmy Nominee Aubrey Plaza on Becoming a Boss in 'Emily the Criminal' and in Her Own Career (with a Little 'White Lotus' Thrown in)". Awards Daily. July 12, 2023. Archived from the original on July 29, 2024. Retrieved July 29, 2024.