Yesterday was a busy day as well for Aubrey, who’s still in Utah promoting “Black Bear” at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. She swung by the Pizza Hut X Legion M Lounge, and Heineken At TheWrap Studio before attending a Private Dinner During Sundance For “Blackbear” Hosted By RAND Luxury. High-quality images have been added to our gallery.

Variety: Aubrey Plaza gives a go-for-broke performance in “Black Bear,” a galvanizing and serpentine drama about a weekend getaway that goes dangerously off the rails.

The film premieres at the Sundance Film Festival on Friday and Plaza’s work is a million miles removed from April Ludgate, the deadpan and apathetic intern from “Parks and Recreation” that served as the actress’ breakout role. Here, Plaza plays both sides of the coin, in the story of a couple who get obsessed with their overnight guest. Without revealing “Black Bear’s” killer twist, in one part of the film, Plaza is both seductive and poised, while in another section she is unbalanced and wracked with anxiety. It was, she admits, the greatest acting challenge of her career, one that was tailor-made for her by writer and director Lawrence Michael Levine.

On the eve of “Black Bear’s” Sundance debut, Plaza spoke with Variety about the difficulties of filming this emotionally demanding part on a shoe-string budget, as well as her upcoming stint hosting the Independent Spirit Awards.

This film is intense. What interested you in the project?
It was probably one of the most intense experiences I’ve ever had. We were in Long Lake in the Adirondacks and the lines between reality and fiction were very blurred. We were shooting off the grid on this property that was a 25-minute drive from the main road. So there was no cell service, no backup generators. We had a complete blackout when we first got to the location. And waiting for me in my dressing room was a miner’s light for my head in case of emergencies and a bear bell. That was comforting.

That sounds like roughing it. Are you outdoorsy?
I’m not. I would not consider myself outdoorsy. I mean, I love nature, but that wasn’t what this was. We weren’t staying in some charming cabin. We were working three weeks in those conditions. But I felt like I needed to do it, because the movie was written for me. It was very personal. Both Larry [Michael Levine] and myself are in these relationships with filmmakers, so we know how that can alter things on set. [Editor’s note: Plaza is dating writer and director Jeff Baena, with whom she made ‘The Little Hours.’]

Is that scary to be presented with something that someone wrote for you? It sounds like a lot of pressure. What if it sucks?
There is pressure, but with this project more than any other project, I decided to do it right after I first read it. When Larry gave it to me, I couldn’t believe that he believed I could pull it off. It was this challenging exercise in terms of performance — mentally, emotionally, I knew I was diving off the deep end. But that appealed to me. There were notes in the script that literally said, “[my character] Allison gives the most amazing performance that anyone has ever seen.” It was like, “Thanks Larry!” But it was flattering. I said, “If I’m going to do this, I need Christopher Abbott.”

Did you know Christopher Abbott before co-starring with him in “Black Bear”?
No. I’d seen him in “James White,” and I just felt like he’d be a good scene partner. I knew I couldn’t put myself in a position of being in a movie that had a low budget and was shot in challenging conditions, without that. It’s funny, because I’m a producer on the film, and I decided to help get Chris. So I wrote him this letter asking him to do the project, and then I sort of opted to let the universe decide if I should send it to him. So I slept on it. And the next day, I got a call from Larry who said, “Thank you. I don’t know what you said, but it worked. Christopher signed on.” I didn’t do a goddamn thing. The universe did it. So there you go.

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It’s that time of the year again! 2020 Sundance Film Festival started yesterday, and Aubrey was there to promote her next feature film, entitled “Black Bear“, which she stars in as Allison. She also produced the film. She first attended the Vulture Spot Presented By Amazon Fire TV 2020, followed by the “Black Bear” Premiere and swung by the IMDb Studio. The day ended with the “Black Bear” Premiere Party At The Audible Speakeasy. High-quality images have been added to our gallery.

Variety: Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, Victor Garber, Dan Levy and Mary Steenburgen have been cast in “Happiest Season,” a romantic comedy starring Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis.

The TriStar Pictures film, from director Clea DuVall, will debut in theaters on Nov. 20. “Happiest Season” follows Stewart’s character, who is planning to propose to her girlfriend (Davis) while at her family’s annual holiday party. She then discovers her partner hasn’t yet come out to her conservative parents (portrayed by Steenburgen and Garber).

Also joining the cast are Ana Gasteyer, Burl Moseley, Sarayu Blue and Jake McDorman.

Marty Bowen and Isaac Klausner will produce the film, while Jonathan McCoy and Wyck Godfrey will serve as executive producers. It will be shot on location in Pittsburgh, Pa.

The full line-up for Sundance Film Festival 2020 was announced yesterday, and Lawrence Michael Levine’s “Black Bear” is set to have its world premiere as part of their NEXT Competition. The film tells the story of a filmmaker who, at a remote lake house, plays a calculated game of desire and jealousy in the pursuit of a work of art that blurs the boundaries between autobiography and invention. Cast includes Aubrey, who also produced the film, as well as Christopher Abbott and Sarah Gadon.

Our gallery has been updated with 400 high-quality blu-ray screen captures of Aubrey as Karen Barclay in the 2019 Lars Klevberg film “Child’s Play“. The contemporary re-imagining of the 1988 horror classic, “Child’s Play” follows Karen (Aubrey Plaza), a single mother who gifts her son Andy (Gabriel Bateman) a Buddi doll, unaware of its more sinister nature. Be sure to check out the movie on either Amazon or iTunes.

I have just updated our gallery with over 250 high-quality screen captures of Aubrey as Lenny Busker in the latest episode of Legion (S03E02 — “Chapter 21“), which aired on Monday on FX Networks. Enjoy!

Our gallery has been updated with several high-quality screen captures of Aubrey as Lenny in the latest episode of Legion (S03E01 — “Chapter 20“). I can’t wait for next week’s episode!

Back on Wednesday (June 19), Aubrey attended the ‘Child’s Play’ Los Angeles Premiere, alongside co-stars Gabriel Bateman and Mark Hamill. She looked beautiful, wearing a colourful and vibrant mini dress. High-quality images have been added to our gallery.

Aubrey has been rather busy lately, as she attended the 2019 MTV Movie And TV Awards back on Saturday (June 15) held at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California. Once again, she looked absolutely beautiful wearing a sparkling, black tuxedo dress adorned with sequins. High-quality images have been added to our gallery.