WATCH: 10 Reasons We Love Aubrey Plaza
When we first saw her in Parks & Recreation, Funny People and Safety Not Guaranteed, Aubrey Plaza seemed to be budding into one of the most ubiquitous young character actors on today’s screens. But with her just-released To-Do List, the typically stony-faced, bang-draped Wilmington native seems to be stretching her comedic muscles — and adding a much-needed dose of girl power to the mostly male-dominated “high school nerds rush to get laid before college” genre (i.e., Superbad, American Pie.) But while she’s graced the cover of Cosmo Latina and the pages of GQ recently, it’s worth remembering that she was ours before she was anyone else’s. In case you needed them (though I certainly didn’t), here are ten reasons to love this homegrown comic (sourpuss and all.)
1. She got her start at the Wilmington Drama League, where one of her first major roles was, fittingly, one of the mean stepsisters in the Cinderella production. Even more fittingly, she started doing the Macarena on stage during the ballroom scene.
2. Generally ill-timed, ill-conceived dancing is a thing of hers. Behold this lazy row-the-boat move she does while making her way onto Ellen Degeneres’ stage. (Later on in the video, she discusses her local relatives, and the curse of America’s Delaware indifference.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLEWewOUhjc
3. In high school, she studied improv right here in Center City, at Comedy Sportz Philly. Depending on who you ask, Philadelphia is the least comedian-friendly city in America, so I presume L.A. was like a hug from grandma by comparison.
4. She speech-bombed Will Ferrell. Probably drunk. After jumping on stage to wrestle Ferrell’s award out of his hand at the 2012 MTV Movie Awards, Plaza retreated back to her seat, where she dropped a mysterious cup, and was subsequently removed from the auditorium by the awards show’s producers. Jokes don’t always land; sometimes it’s the risk that counts.
5. She’s basically a walking gif. Exhibits A, B, and C:
6. She was the grand marshal of the 2009 Wilmington Christmas Parade.
If anyone cares…I was the Grand Marshal of the Wilmington Christmas Parade today: http://twitpic.com/r72e9
— Aubrey Plaza (@evilhag) November 27, 2009
7. Her Twitter account (@evilhag). It often looks like she’s either having a Tourrettic typing fit, or transcribing a Ouija game via Tweets.
p.s. DON’T FORGET TO GIVE YOUR FRIEND A HAND JOB IN THE THEATER TONIGHT! IT’S TRADITION! #TheToDoList
— Aubrey Plaza (@evilhag) July 26, 2013
this thing suckssss
— Aubrey Plaza (@evilhag) July 2, 2013
MY BATTERY IS DYING!! what do I want to sayYY?!?! UMMmm. I LOVE YOU NICHOLAS CAGEEEE.
— Aubrey Plaza (@evilhag) June 25, 2013
8. She met her boyfriend playing Balderdash. She and writer/director-boyfriend Jeff Baena (whose credits include I Heart Huckabees) met at a house party, playing everyone’s (actually, just your grandpa’s) favorite board game.
9. The Daria trailer. Dear God, the Daria trailer.
10. Home’s never far off her radar. Direct, on-the-record quote, offered ever-so-cruelly to the Delaware Today: “I would love to shoot a movie in Delaware someday.” So now we wait.
