Known for her deadpan humor and iconic portrayal of apathetic intern April Ludgate, Aubrey Plaza has risen to become one of the most well-known American comedians today. With her diverse abilities in performing stand-up, improv, and sketch comedy, as well as her universally acclaimed acting skills, she has taken on numerous exciting roles in both film and TV. These include playing a disillusioned college graduate in Safety Not Guaranteed, a flesh eating zombie in Life After Beth, and a terrified mother in the reboot of Child’s Play.
Despite this, her fame still ultimately has its roots in her role on Parks and Recreation, a hilarious and heartwarming political satire about the comings and goings of the government’s Parks department in Pawnee, Indiana. Here, we take a look at 15 surprising things you might not have known about Aubrey’s time on the show.
15 Aubrey’s Parting Gift For The Cast Was Her Blood And Hair
As Aziz Ansari tells Conan O’Brien in an interview, Aubrey gave the cast her blood, hair, and toenails as a parting gift right before Parks and Recreation wrapped up production. According to The Richest, Ansari was delighted with the gift as he felt this was done in true Aubrey Plaza fashion, but was disappointed to find out it wasn’t actually her own blood.
14 She Attended Co-Star Amy Poehler’s Improv Theatre
Since 2004, Aubrey has attended the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre where she put on performances of improv and sketch comedy. The theatre is a creative training centre founded by members such as Ian Roberts and Matt Walsh, as well as Aubrey’s close friend and Parks and Recreation co-star, Amy Poehler.
13 The Character Of April Ludgate Was Written Just For Her
If you think Aubrey Plaza was born to play the role of April Ludgate, then you’re not far off from the truth. According to Mental Floss, casting director Allison Jones decided to write a role specifically for Aubrey after the actress made her “really uncomfortable for like an hour” during auditions.
12 Her Character’s Relationship With Andy Dwyer Was Unplanned
The iconic relationship between Andy and April was not actually planned from the start. Before becoming April’s long-term partner, Andy used to live with Ann Perkins in her house next to the big pit. The producers first witnessed a spark between the contrasting characters during the episode where April says she would “get” Andy’s band.
11 Out Of Her Co-Stars, She Was The Most Awkward In Interviews
Known for her often awkward yet charming public persona, Aubrey has built up quite the reputation for making talk show hosts and interviewers uncomfortable. As quoted from the actress herself, “I feel like sarcastic is a word that people use to describe me sometimes so when I meet someone, it’s almost like they feel like they have to also be sarcastic.”
10 She Based April Ludgate On Her Sister Natalie
As stated on IMDB, Aubrey based her character on her younger sister Natalie. Natalie also featured on the show as April Ludgate’s emotionless younger sister who gets a kick out of pranking Andy Dwyer. The family resemblance is striking on the show as they both exhibit a strong sense of sarcasm and apathy towards surrounding events.
9 She Was Told That “Parks And Recreation” Was Bound To Be Cancelled
Before the show’s popularity skyrocketed, Aubrey used to receive comments from various people in the industry that Parks and Recreation was bound to be cancelled anytime soon. This was due to their consistently low ratings and lack of coverage in the media. It is safe to say, however, that the show did not remain in the shadow of anonymity for long.
8 Unlike April, Aubrey Cannot Speak Spanish
According to Housley, Aubrey cannot speak a word of Spanish although her father is Puerto-Rican. She says herself that she wishes she was fluent in the language as this would help her to communicate better with her family. April Ludgate seems to fulfil this wish for her in one of the show’s earlier episodes where she is shown to speak fluent Spanish.
7 She Is The Real Life Opposite Of Her Onscreen Husband, Chris Pratt
During filming, Aubrey continually received advice from her co-star and onscreen husband, Chris Pratt. As she recounts, he always told her “The separation is in the preparation.” Like Andy and April, the two couldn’t be more different as Aubrey mentions “He's one of those people who's always very prepared. I was kind of the opposite."
6 She Was Afraid Of Being Typecast After April Ludgate
A common concern for actors and actresses on popularised TV shows, Aubrey was afraid of becoming typecast after her role on Parks and Recreation. Although she was grateful for the opportunity to portray April Ludgate, she recalls that it was a challenge to break free from her widespread character image.
5 Her Character Was Unnamed When The Pilot Was Written
During the first drafts of the show, Aubrey’s character was still being referred to as simply ‘Aubrey.’ This demonstrates how closely related Aubrey is to April Ludgate, with the producers taking inspiration solely from the actress’s real life demeanor in order to construct the outlines of her character in the pilot.
4 She Pranked Adam Scott By Putting A Goblin In His Trailer
Aubrey revealed in an interview with Hot Ones that she pulled a terrifying prank on Adam Scott who played Ben Wyatt on the show. The prank consisted of putting a toilet goblin in his trailer to scare him. A toilet goblin is a fake monster that can be attached by suction cups to toilet lids in order to surprise anyone who proceeds to lift up the lid.
3 She Was A Real Life Intern At NBC
According to Thought Catalog, one of the main things Aubrey had in common with her character was her experience as an intern. She worked as a page for NBC, giving tours around their premises during which she would make up random facts about the studio. She also worked for a brief time as an intern for SNL.
2 Her Deadpan Humor Often Confused Co-Workers
Due to her deadpan delivery and ironic remarks, Aubrey tended to confuse the cast and crew with her half-joking style of humor. This is also reflected in her interviews with Ellen DeGeneres and Conan O’Brien where she rambles on about a number of seemingly impossible stories, causing the talk show hosts to blurt out “I don’t believe you!"
1 She Was Drawn To April Ludgate’s Authenticity
Commenting on her process of selecting roles, Aubrey says “I just want to keep finding special characters that I feel like I can bring to life and characters that are real and not superficial.” The character of April Ludgate seems to be in keeping with this statement as she is presented as a multifaceted person, cold, and distant on the outside but sentimental and caring on the inside.