Since her breakout as April Ludgate in Parks and Recreation, Aubrey Plaza has had us captivated. Funny, enigmatic — some might even say a little witchy (IYKYK) — she's cultivated a reputation as one of the coolest actresses in Hollywood. Whether she’s playing deadpan comedy or something darker, Plaza brings a kind of unpredictable energy to every role, and that's exactly what makes her so compelling to watch.
Below, we're looking back at her best roles to date, so you can plan your next Aubrey Plaza-coded binge watch.
April Ludgate in Parks and Recreation
The role that started it all. As the deadpan intern-turned-public servant, what could’ve been a throwaway character became a generational touchpoint, and first introduced us to Plaza's inimitable sarcasm.
Harper in The White Lotus season two
Arguably one of the most memorable characters, season two saw Plaza play Harper, holidaying (somewhat against her will) with her husband and his insufferable friends. As we've come to expect from Mike White, the season was a slow burn, but we loved every moment watching Plaza as the outsider observing the other guest's excruciating antics.
Future Elliot in My Old Ass
In this coming-of-age dramedy produced by Margot Robbie, Plaza plays the older version of a teenager giving her younger self (played equally skilfully by Maisy Stella) life advice — including who not to fall in love with. Don't let the name fool you, this is one of the most heart-wrenching and heart-warming watches.
Rio Vidal in Agatha All Along
As the mysterious witch Rio Vidal (the personification of death), Plaza brings simmering menace, and a vendetta against Kathryn Hahn's Agatha. Plaza plays her with eerie calm and dark elegance, culminating in a sapphic, spell-breaking kiss that makes this one of Marvel’s boldest storylines.
Lenny Busker in Legion
In this Marvel-adjacent series, Plaza plays Lenny — a recovering addict who initially appears simply as the protagonist’s best friend. But nothing in Legion is quite what it seems, and Lenny is soon revealed to be a psychic parasite — a vessel for the malevolent Shadow King, shifting between genders, realities, and mental states with supernatural ease.
Emily in Emily the Criminal
A career best performance. Plaza plays Emily, a struggling art school graduate suffocated by student debt and a criminal record, who turns to credit card fraud to survive.
Ingrid in Ingrid Goes West
This film is tragic, funny, and at times deeply uncomfortable to watch. Long before we were talking about parasocial relationships, Plaza was playing one, as a woman obsessed with an influencer, who moves to Los Angeles and tries everything to get into her good books.
Riley in Happiest Season
This cast is reason enough to watch, with Plaza starring alongside Kristen Stewart, dan Levy, and Alison Brie, to name a few. She plays the effortlessly cool ex-girlfriend who shows up unexpectedly, and wreaks havoc on a new proposal. A comfort watch we return to again and again.
Gabriella in The Little Hours
Funny, strange, and a melting pot of some our favourite creatives (Alison Brie, Dave Franco, John C. Reilly, Molly Shannon, Fred Armisen, and Nick Offerman), The Little Hours was written and directed by Plaza's late husband, Jeff Baena. Plaza plays a nun whose life at a convent is thrown into disarray when Massetto seeks refuge there, posing as a man with a hearing and speech impairment.
Laura in Black Bear
This psychological drama premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2020. Plaza plays a filmmaker suffering from a lack of inspiration who retreats to an isolated lake house in search of inspiration, but instead begins manipulating her hosts in an attempt to create a work of art.
