If you have never seen the comedy show, Parks and Recreation or the sci-fi show, Legion, it might be surprising to see the actress Aubrey Plaza attract so much applause when she visits talk shows like The Late Show with Stephen Colbert or The Ellen Show, prompting questions of confusion like why she is famous.
Aubrey Plaza, though a relatively young actress with an even younger career in the industry has quickly cemented a reputation in Hollywood as one of its talented actresses with a talent for playing apathetic characters who have a dash of evil in them. We took a stab at why she is famous as well as some of the major roles she is known for. Check them out below.
Why is Aubrey Plaza Famous?
Simply put, Aubrey Plaza is famous for being an actress, specifically, a successful one. It is a journey that began in 2006, 22 years after she was born on the 26th of June, 1984 in Wilmington, Delaware.
Born to an attorney, Bernadette Plaza and a financial advisor, David Plaza, her interest in acting started when she was in high school at Ursuline Academy, where she was a part of productions in the Wilmington Drama League, and oddly enough, was also the student council president. She then headed over to the New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts where she studied film.
After graduation, it took a while before Aubrey Plaza became famous and it involved days and nights working in various roles. First as an intern at a few production companies, including as an NBC page and she also performed improv and sketch comedy with the famous Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, a role she had held since 2004.
In her continued search for a breakthrough, Aubrey also performed stand-up comedy and made minor appearances in web series like The Jeannie Tate Show, Mayne Street and Terrible Decisions with Ben Schwartz.
Although she appeared in a number of short films in promotion of her career, she did not appear in a major production until 2009, when she appeared in the cult film, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and began her role as April Ludgate in the comedy series, Parks and Recreation, appearing across 125 episodes between 2009 and 2015.
Ultimately, it was her role as April Ludgate that transformed her into a star and made her famous, due to her portrayal of the apathetic character.
Since then, Aubrey Plaza has continued to remain famous through other appearances in other popular projects like Dirty Grandpa, Castle, and Legion, where she played Lenny Busker between 2017 and 2019.
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What Is She Known For?
Aubrey Plaza’s status as a famous person can be tied to her roles in film and television over the years since she made her debut as an actress in 2006. She has since appeared in over 66 movies and TV shows, some of which have been a critical and commercial success. Some of the roles she is best known for is the one that made her a national and international star, playing April Ludgate on Parks and Recreation.
Her character worked as an intern in the Pawnee Department of Parks and Recreation who later became Ron Swanson’s assistant before her ultimate character end as the Deputy Director of Animal Control. The apathetic nature of the character, combined with her goth-like behavior and deadpan comedy style endeared both the character and Aubrey Plaza to millions of fans of the show.
Aside from playing the role in the show itself, she has appeared in the role in other productions like Parks and Recreation in Europe, Parks, and Recreation: Dammit Jerry! and Parks and Recreation: Road Trip.
Another role Aubrey Plaza is famous for is her role as Lenny Busker in the FX superhero show, Legion. The role as Lenny was originally supposed to be played by a man but a meeting with the show’s producer, Noah Hawley caused her to be cast in the role.
She appeared in a total of 27 episodes on the show as one of its supporting cast. As Lenny, Aubrey Plaza played an impossible optimist who has a history of drug and alcohol abuse. Although the original iteration of her character died in the first episode of the show, she kept appearing on the show through different iterations of the character.
So far, she has also been known to be nominated for over 20 awards, and she has won at least five of them, including Independent Spirit Awards and Behind the Voice Actors Awards.
