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Aubrey Plaza: why we love the star ofMegalopolis and Agatha All Along
American actress Aubrey Plaza, also known as the Wednesday Addams of indie cinema and star of the series The White Lotus, is starring both in the gothic miniseries Agatha All Along and in Francis Ford Coppola’s controversial feature film Megalopolis, which has just been released on Wednesday, September 25th. An opportunity for Numéro to take a look back at her great career, her cutting-edge looks and her devastating sense of humor.
Traduction: Emma Naroumbo Armaing.
By Violaine Schütz.
Aubrey Plaza’s eclectic roles, from The White Lotus to Megalopolis
Among Funny People (2009) by Judd Apatow, Scott Pilgrim (2010), Damsels in Distress (2012) by Whit Stillman and Greta Gerwig, Ingrid Goes West (2017) with Elizabeth Olsen, Emily the Criminal (2022), or the series Parks and Recreation (2009-2015) and The White Lotus (2022), American actress and producer Aubrey Plaza, 40, has a knack for handpicking the productions in which she participates.
While her preference for independent cinema is undeniable, her biggest roles and most ambitious projects are perhaps yet to come. The actress is now starring alongside Adam Driver in Francis Ford Coppola’s pharaonic feature Megalopolis.
Presented in competition at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2024 and released on September 25th, the film offers both an epic and chaotic fresco. Megalopolis is “a Roman epic set in an imaginary modern America in the throes of decadence. The city of New Rome is in dire need of change, creating a major conflict between Caesar Catiline, a genius artist with the power to stop time, and arch-conservative mayor Franklyn Cicero.”
A diabolical appearance in the series Agatha All Along
Meanwhile, the dark Aubrey Plaza is shining in the amusing and camp miniseries Agatha All Along, available on Disney+. She embodies the protagonist’s (very sexy) nemesis – the bewitching Agatha Harkness, brilliantly played by the incredible Kathryn Hahn. Goth as hell, the show is a spin-off of WandaVision (2021) and completely reinvents the Marvel universe to make it the queerest Marvel production made so far starring Aubrey Plaza. With all the witches, magical trials and fantastic settings, it is also the perfect Halloween program to watch.
The actress will also be seen in the live-action film Animal Friends (2025), alongside Ryan Reynolds and Jason Momoa, as well as in Ethan Coen’s detective comedy Honey Don’t!, starring Margaret Qualley and Chris Evans, and in John Waters’ upcoming feature, Liarmouth.
An irresistible sarcastic humor
After her first appearance in an episode of the sitcom 30 Rock in 2006, Aubrey Plaza has made a name for herself through a wide range of often smutty comedy shows and movies (Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, Funny People, Joshy, Dirty Grandpa, Happiest Season). For years, she played the role of April Ludgate, a sarcastic, jaded intern at the crossroads between Daria and Emily the Strange, in the sitcom Parks and Recreation.
Her Wednesday Addams-inspired appearance and stone-faced gaze have allowed her to excel in sulky, deadpan roles – she co-hosted the hilarious sequence with Jenna Ortega at the SAG Award ceremony. In interviews, she thrives on strange, cynical, sometimes macabre lines, which are often quoted on social media: “I like being rejected, it makes me feel alive.” Aubrey Plaza also declared that she never watched The White Lotus because she had forgotten the password of her HBO Max account. In addition to that, there is a collection of hilarious poses she took on the red carpet, with her irresistible freshness and quirkiness.
Aubrey Plaza possesses a true sense of fashion
Whether she is on screen or on the red carpet, the American actress demonstrates a real sense of fashion. The entire preppy/quiet luxury wardrobe she sported in season 2 of the series The White Lotus, which premiered in 2021, is to die for. The buttery yellow gown adorned with a giant pin designed by Loewe, a house she’s close to, that she wore at the Emmy Awards in January 2024 has even become a meme.
Another stunt? Her multiple appearances wearing low-cut dresses, long black gloves, crop tops, trendy pieces designed by Bottega Veneta, Louis Vuitton, Etro or Miu Miu, the Stella McCartney white dress featuring ultra-sexy cut-outs at the 2023 Met Gala or the revealing bronze silhouette by Michael Kors at the 2023 SAG Awards. As she hardly ever wears a bra, the actress has shared that she doesn’t take people’s opinion of herself into account when she chooses an outfit.
Megalopolis by Francis Ford Coppola, starring Adam Driver and Aubrey Plaza, out in cinemas on September 25th, 2024. The series Agatha All Along, created by Jac Schaeffer, is available now on Disney+.
