Aubrey Plaza, who stars as Amy Poheler’s bratty and slothful intern April on the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation, breaks onto the big screen with a role in Judd Apatow’s Funny People, set to be released July 31. I got a chance to speak to the half Puerto Rican, half Irish actress and discovered that she doesn’t fit into any one mold. All her life, Plaza, 24, has been one of the guys—the ultimate guy’s girl. And now, she’s the girl among the guys in Apatow’s highly anticipated comedy, which also stars Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen. Take the time to get to know Plaza, a woman who is redefining what it means to be a Latina comedienne.
I can’t wait to see Funny People! Who do you play in the film?
I play Daisy, a young stand-up comedienne who’s just moved to L.A. and is new to the area. She moves into the same building as Seth Rogen’s character, Ira, and Seth’s character lives with two other guys and they’re all young, up-and-coming comedians. She makes friends with them and gets in with their circle, but she causes a problem between the guys because Ira really likes her, but she goes out with Jason [Schwartzman's character].
What’s Daisy like?
She’s a lot like me: really weird and sarcastic. She’s also the girl amongst the guys, which I find is usually the case with comedy. The comedy world is very male-dominated.
Janie
July 25, 2009
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This girl’s no slouch
Actress Aubrey Plaza recently wrapped up her first season as a bratty and slothful college intern in NBC’s new series “Parks and Recreation.”
But though the role of April — who works for a polarizing woman (Amy Poehler) with lofty political aspirations — is her first starring role on a comedy TV series, Plaza, who is half Puerto Rican, is also appearing in three films.
She plays Seth Rogen’s girlfriend, Daisy, in her first big studio movie, “Funny People,” a dark comedy from director Judd Apatow (“Knocked Up”), opening July 31.
Daisy is a young standup comedian who befriends a group of male comics played by Adam Sandler, Jonah Hill, Jason Schwartzman and Eric Bana.
“She is the girl among the guys,” says Plaza, 24, a brunette with a girl-next-door look. “Which I find is usually the case with comedy, because the comedy world is very male-dominated.”
Plaza should know. Born in Wilmington, Del., she attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and is an alumna of the Upright Citizens Brigade, a city theater that offers classes in improvisation and sketch comedy.
“Working on ‘Funny People’ felt very familiar to me,” she says. “I am used to being around lots of guys, and I think that’s why it worked so well.”
Plaza also stars as a mean coffee shop barista/record store employee in “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” a comedy starring Michael Cera scheduled for release next year.
And she’s in “Mystery Team,” a feature about three child detectives trying to solve an adult murder mystery; it debuted at the Sundance Film Festival.
But you don’t have to go to the movies or turn on the tube to watch Plaza’s irreverent humor. A video of a dead-on impression of Sarah Silverman has made her popular on YouTube.
“That was my audition tape for ‘SNL,’” explains Plaza, who says it was once her dream to become a cast member on the long-running show.
“I have a new dream,” she adds, “to host ‘SNL’!”
This summer, Plaza — who is Puerto Rican on her father’s side and Irish/English on her mother’s — hopes to visit the Caribbean island.
“I try to go every summer, because I have family there,” she says. “I love the food and the people.”
Still, that doesn’t mean that she speaks Spanish.
“I wish I was fluent,” she says. “My grandfather came over from Puerto Rico and raised his kids speaking English so that it would be easier for them to assimilate.
“My family speaks to me in Spanish,” she adds, “and I respond in English.”
From the NY Daily News