If you only know Aubrey Plaza from her 7-season run on PARKS AND RECREATION, you won’t for long.
Between her lead role in last year’s THE TO DO LIST, a hilarious turn as a zombie in LIFE AFTER BETH, and her current roles in FRESNO and NED RIFLE, she seems determined to separate herself from the sarcastic, apathetic character she played on TV. In Jamie Babbitt’s FRESNO, she kicks ass and flirts in a supporting role as Natasha Lyonne’s love interest, but she’s front and center as the obsessed and damaged Susan in Hal Hartley’s NED RIFLE.
She only shot a few days in FRESNO and I hadn’t yet seen NED RIFLE at the time of the interview, so the short conversation somewhat strayed from those films, and went more into her career and her ambition to take on an increasing amount of roles outside of her comfort zone.
VINYARD: First question: Krav Maga. In the credits (for FRESNO), I saw there was a Krav Maga consultant on the film. Did you actually have to learn some moves?
AUBREY: I didn’t have to. I chose to. I did take a couple of private lessons.
VINYARD: With the consultant?
AUBREY: Yeah.
VINYARD: That was completely your call?
AUBREY: Yeah. It was presented to me as an option, and I took it. That’s one of the reasons why I did the movie, because I thought it’d be really fun to learn Krav Maga.
VINYARD: Have you done it since?
AUBREY: No.
VINYARD: Besides learning how to do Israeli martial arts, what was your motivation for taking the role?
AUBREY: Basically, I did it because Natasha (Lyonne) asked me if I wanted to play her love interest, and I thought it’d be fun to make out with her. For real.
VINYARD: For two seconds at the end!
AUBREY: Well, we shot more footage than that. You never can tell what’s going to make it in the cut, you know.
VINYARD: So you knew Natasha beforehand?
AUBREY: Yeah, we’ve been friends. She called me up and asked me to do it.
VINYARD: You didn’t know Jamie (Babbitt) or Karey (Dornetto) beforehand?
AUBREY: No.
VINYARD: You’re an established actress, and yours is sort of a smallish part. When you read the script, what did you think about what you could bring to the role?
AUBREY: I thought it was a different role. I’d never played a lesbian before. I’d never played a Krav Maga instructor. I just thought it’d be a really fun character to play. I’m always interested in playing different characters. I was working on PARKS AND REC at the time, and I thought it’d be fun to kind of pop into the movie and play a completely different kind of role.
VINYARD: How long did you shoot?
AUBREY: Not long. A couple of days. In and out, as they say.
VINYARD: I’ve noticed that aside from PARKS A REC, you’ve been doing a lot of stuff that’s been different. You got NED RIFLE also playing here.
AUBREY: Very different from a lesbian Krav Maga instructor in that movie.
VINYARD: Can you talk about that, working with Hal Hartley and why you decided to do that?
AUBREY: Oh man, I love Hal Hartley. I was a huge fan of his movies. I saw his movies when I was living in New York, in college I was introduced to his films. I didn’t really have to read the script. My agent basically told me that he had written the final chapter of HENRY FOOL and said he was interested in me playing the part, and I didn’t even hesitate. I was like, “Yes, 100% I would like to do that.” And I loved working with him. That part was also a very different character for me. That was really a great opportunity for me to dive into something I wouldn’t normally otherwise get to do. I really am proud of that movie. i think it’s a very beautiful movie, and it really reminds me of some of his movies that I love the most, like THE UNBELIEVABLE TRUTH. It feels very close to that, which I really liked.
VINYARD: Moreso than HENRY FOOL and FAY GRIM?
AUBREY: Also HENRY FOOL. FAY GRIM I feel like stylistically is a little different. It’s a different pace, and a different kind of energy to that movie. It feels like a bigger movie, FAY GRIM. It feels more like international espionage thriller almost. This one felt more kind of like an erotic film noir kind of road trip movie, I dunno.
VINYARD: I haven’t seen it yet, so I’m excited to see it.
AUBREY: Oh you should see it, it’s great. It’s really, really a strange, strange movie. Very dark.
VINYARD: I gave like 25 bucks to the Kickstarter, so I wanna see if my money made it on the screen.
AUBREY: Yeah, you gotta see it. You made it happen! That’s awesome
VINYARD: You played a stand-up comedienne in FUNNY PEOPLE, you played a zombie in LIFE AFTER BETH, you’ve now played a martial artist/lesbian. Do you have anything else that you’d love to play that you don’t think people would necessarily see you as? One of the things I like about (FRESNO) is that they cast Judy Greer completely against type. She’s playing something very far removed from what you normally associate her with. What is that role in your mind? What is something you could do that is completely unlike anything you’ve done before?
AUBREY: Like something I’d wanna do?
VINYARD: Yeah.
AUBREY: Well, so many things. There are so many things I wanna do. One thing that comes to mind is taking on a more physical part, whether it’s an action movie or a superhero movie or some kind of movie where I can use my physicality. I did a little bit in this movie. I got to box around a little bit. But I’m much more athletic than I think people would assume, and I’m really into that kinda stuff, so I’d really like to do something where I’m like kicking ass. It’d be fun. And I’d also like to play Hillary Clinton. Which makes you laugh! But there’s a movie right now that’s going around that’s a little bit of a biopic on her, and I would like that too. I don’t think people would normally assume that I could do that, but I could do that.
VINYARD: So it’d be about a young Hillary?
AUBREY: College-aged Hillary, 20s Hillary.
VINYARD: Do you have any interest in going back to TV at any point?
AUBREY: Yeah. I have no plans, no plan at all, but especially now, there’s so much good quality episodic entertainment happening.
VINYARD: Directed by Jamie alone!
AUBREY: Yeah. I’d totally dive into another show if the time was right and the material was right. If all those things come together, I would do it.
VINYARD: Was it tricky squeezing in film projects when you were a regular on PARKS?
AUBREY: Sometimes, sometimes. I’m a little bit of a workaholic, so sometimes I’d overdo it a little bit. But it’s hard for me to do just one thing. I like to challenge myself, and I get antsy creatively, so I need a lot of stimulation. I guess it was tricky.
VINYARD: You were talking about how someone wouldn’t normally see you as Hillary Rodham Clinton. Do you find that there’s a stigma against hiring actors and actresses who are known more for their comedic side for more dramatic material? Have you found any difficulties
AUBREY: For me, it’s always a challenge to get people to see or believe that I’m capable of doing many things. I’m not sure how much of that has to do with me being a comedienne or not, but I actually think there have been so many comedians in the past who have taken on dramatic roles and just crushed them, that I think that’s…a thing.
VINYARD: Do you still test for roles, and what is that process like for you? ‘Cause I know for some people it’s hard.
AUBREY: Auditioning and stuff? All the time. I’m still very much in a place where I have to fight for every single thing that I wanna do. If I want to keep doing the same thing over and over again, sure, I could just take all of those parts that are offered to me. But anything that is out of my…anything that’s really different, I always have to fight for. Which I’m fine with. I like that. I like the challenge of that. And I think it’ll be like that for a long time. But that’s ok.
VINYARD: Have you ever fought for something or really pushed yourself, and you saw the result, and you were like, “Oh, I can’t watch this.” How easy is it for you to watch yourself on film?
AUBREY: Not at all. I hate watching anything that I do. I’m surprised I sat through this movie.
VINYARD: Well, you’re not in it every much.
AUBREY: Yeah. And I hadn’t seen it before last night, so I did really want to watch it. But it’s not enjoyable to watch myself, although I am trying to get better at that, just in terms of being a professional actor and being able to critique myself. That would probably be useful down the road. But I won’t say it’s a fun experience to strap down in a seat with a bunch of strangers watching a giant version of yourself.
VINYARD: You guys were talking about that on stage (last night), how in a lot of ways it’s more comfortable to stand behind a booth and do a voiceover because that’s not an issue. That’s just one less thing to worry about.
AUBREY: Well, I hate the sound of my voice too. All of it’s just awful.
Ned Rifle - Teaser from Hal Hartley on Vimeo.
Catch NED RIFLE in select theaters and VOD on April 3rd.
