Aubrey Plaza - NY Daily Interview

AUBREY PLAZA

Even if you haven't been to a comedy club in a while, you may have spotted Aubrey Plaza dressed as an NBC page, giving a studio tour in prime time on the sitcom "30 Rock."

It's an experience she knows well. The 23-year-old comedian once worked as an NBC page.

"When they were casting that episode they were looking for someone who could improvise what a page would say. Ideally, they wanted a former page who was also an actress and that was me," she says. "I even had my own page uniform I brought to the set."

Plaza moved from her native Delaware to attend New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. She was in the perfect place to get behind the scenes at her dream gigs, interning at "Saturday Night Live" and working various other jobs at NBC.

"I think ultimately I want to be in a position where I can write my own movie and star in it," she says. "Or have my own TV show and be head writer - Tina Fey style."

When interviewed on the phone, she was in Los Angeles for a series of auditions. In New York, she performs with Upright Citizens Brigade, on the same long-form improv team as Jenn Bartels, and has carved out a niche in Long Island City, where some 20 of her high-school friends ended up, leading her to christen the area "Little Delaware."

Like many young comics, her biggest break yet came from the Internet. She exchanges verbal jabs with comic Liz Cackowski in the online series "The Jeannie Tate Show." Cackowski plays a suburban mom who hosts a talk show from behind the wheel of her minivan; Plaza plays her badass, substance-loving daughter. The series of videos, most under five minutes, have tallied more than half a million views on YouTube.

"After 'Jeannie Tate' I'm constantly being cast as a mean, bad teenager," says Plaza, who insists she was sweet growing up. "I just think I have a really angry looking face. I don't smile that much, so people automatically assume I have dark secrets."

From:
http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/2008/04/20/2008-04-20_new_yorks_next_funny_ladies-1.html?page=2


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A couple interesting things here. First, it mentions her role on 30 Rock, and how she landed the gig. She wore her NBC page uniform (from working at SNL) and acted natural.

Half a million views isn't all that much. I think it's just more about who is watching them. For example, Maggie is married to Bill Hader, so a lot of the right people were watching those videos.

For example, we have over 1.5 million views from our vids:
www.youtube.com/theanimationempire


Enjoy!

Funny People trailer

No Aubrey in this trailer, but she's in the movie.



Funny People is an upcoming 2009 American comedy-drama film, written, co-produced, and directed by Judd Apatow, starring Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen as stand up comedians. According to Apatow, the movie is due out July 31st, 2009. Similar to Apatow's previous films, the film would use both comedic and dramatic elements, though it will contain more of the latter. Funny People is in post-production as of January 2009. The film is a co-production between Happy Madison Productions and Apatow Productions. Universal Pictures and Columbia Pictures will co-finance the film, while Universal will distribute worldwide.

George Simmons (Adam Sandler) is a very successful yet self-involved stand-up comedian who learns that he has an inoperable blood disorder and is given less than a year to live. Ira Wright (Seth Rogen) is a struggling up-and-coming stand-up comedian who works at a deli and has yet to figure out his onstage persona. One thing these different men have in common is that neither of them have any close friends. One night, George takes notice of Ira when they perform at the same club and he hires him to be his semi-personal assistant and opening act at his performances. George and Ira form a close bond as George teaches Ira how to win the crowd and Ira helps the dying George find closure in his legacy.

Aubrey Plaza - Pic from "Parks and Recreation"

Aubrey Plaza stars as uninspired intern, April Ludgate, in NBC’s new comedy "Parks and Recreation."




From Emmy Award-winning executive producers Greg Daniels (NBC's "The Office," "King of the Hill") and Michael Schur (NBC's "The Office," "Saturday Night Live") comes a new mockumentary that looks at the exciting world of local government. The new half-hour comedy will examine the mundane but necessary ways that people interact with their government, and ask why it's frequently so complicated -- as everyone knows from standing in line at the DMV, applying for home construction permits, or trying to get the city to fix a pothole.

The documentary cameras follow Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler, NBC's "Saturday Night Live," "Baby Mama") a mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Indiana. In an attempt to beautify her town -- and advance her career -- Leslie takes on what should be a fairly simple project: help local nurse Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones, NBC's "The Office," "Unhitched") turn an abandoned construction pit into a community park. Opposing them are defensive bureaucrats, selfish neighbors, real estate developers, and single-issue fanatics -- whose weapons are lawsuits, the jumble of city codes, and the very democratic process that Leslie loves so much.



Leslie is alternately helped and undermined by her colleague, Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari, "Human Giant," "Scrubs"), who cheerfully exploits his government position for personal gain. She is also thwarted by her boss Ron Swanson, who is philosophically opposed to government in any form.

Helping Leslie and Ann navigate the Pawnee bureaucracy is charismatic city planner Mark Brendanawicz, whose outlook has been soured by 15 years of public service.

If they can pull it off, Leslie hopes that she also will have inspired her uninterested college intern April (Aubrey Plaza, "Mayne Street") and April's whole generation - all the while moving one step closer to her ultimate goal: becoming the first female president of the United States.

"Parks and Recreation" is a production of Deedle-Dee Productions and Universal Media Studios. Along with Daniels and Schur, Howard Klein also serves as executive producer for the series.

From:
http://community.livejournal.com/ohnotheydidnt/33682584.html


Enjoy!

Aubrey Plaza - Visiting UCBLA in 07

Visiting UCBLA. No jokes in this post. Nothing funny about the Upright Citizens Brigade.

Monday, June 18, 2007

Aubrey Plaza - Newish bangs in 08 (photo)

Monday, March 24, 2008

with her new(ish) bangs.

Aubrey Plaza hangs out with Andy Samberg

Update: Aubrey told us the answer. Originally posted 3/30/09

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Is this Aubrey Plaza hanging with Andy Samberg?

Yes! Aubrey let us know that this is her hanging out with Andy Samberg and Aziz. Perhaps we'll get to see Andy and Aubrey work together in the future.




Andy Samberg and friends (Aziz and Aubrey) leave Villa in West Hollywood. 03 23 09.

Enjoy!

Aubrey Plaza - Mentioned on Entertainment Weekly

Judd Apatow's next movie Funny People began shooting in Los Angeles Sept. 29, but not before three of its leading actors, Seth Rogen, Adam Sandler, and Jonah Hill, squeezed in last-minute rehearsals — in front of a live audience — on Sept. 19 and 27. Seems the yuksters made two appearances at the L.A. outpost of Upright Citizens Brigade (capacity: 92) along with The King of Queens star Kevin James and newcomer Aubrey Plaza, all so they could hone their stand-up skills.

Apatow played MC for what was billed as his own ''Evening of Comedy,'' and even lobbed a couple of bits of his own. He explained how his wife (and Funny People ensemble member) Leslie Mann couldn't be less interested in seeing his shtick in action, and entertained on-the-spot movie pitches from audience members. Rogen's and Hill's sets were predictably heavy on masturbation jokes but light on pop culture references, while Sandler's ran longest and came with a disclaimer: Jokes about being single were based on his character — and not his real life. (It's unclear whether later rants about fame, the paparazzi, and living large also fell under that umbrella).

So how did they do? Despite the actors' visible nervousness, the crowd responded enthusiastically — most especially for ringleader Apatow. Still, it's pretty safe to assume that they won't be hitting the comedy-club circuit on a regular basis anytime soon. Rogen, for one, had this to say on the way out: ''I'm so glad that's over.'' — Shirley Halperin, with additional reporting by Nicole Sperling

From:
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20230330,00.html

Enjoy!

Aubrey Plaza - Amy Poehler is her hero (Delaware Today interview)

Funny Business

March 19, 2009

Aubrey Plaza is laughing all the way to Hollywood. Catch her on a new TV sitcom this month and on the silver screen this summer.



With an upcoming feature film starring Adam Sandler, a production company she operates with her best friend, and exchanging jokes with Amy Poehler as part of her daily grind, Aubrey Plaza has it all—almost.

“I’m officially moving out to L.A. now,” says Plaza. “I’m going back to New York tonight to get the rest of my stuff—and my cat.”

Plaza’s residence is not the only thing that has changed during the past few years. She has gone from interning at “Saturday Night Live” to starring in the web series “The Jeannie Tate Show” to overcoming her fear of stand-up comedy for her role in Judd Apatow’s feature film “Funny People,” scheduled to hit theaters in July.

Plaza will exercise her new stand-up skills alongside such comedic actors as Sandler and Seth Rogen in the film. “It’s terrifying,” Plaza says. “It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.”

“Funny People” finished shooting in January. That left Plaza only a week before starting her next project, an NBC sitcom titled “Parks and Recreation” with Poehler. The first episodes are expected to air this month.

“Amy was always one of my heroes,” Plaza says. “If I had known back then that I would be on a show with her, it would have blown my mind.”

Though she’s in Hollywood’s spotlight, don’t expect Plaza, an Ursuline Academy graduate, to become a stranger.

“I’d like to shoot a movie in Delaware,” she says. “Me and Joe Biden—we have to put Delaware on the map.”

That could happen via her Small Wonder Productions, which she runs with fellow Delawarean Dan Murphy. “My biggest hope is that I could write some of my own projects and that we could produce movies through our company,” Plaza says.

For now, she’s keeping herself busy learning new things.


From:
http://www.delawaretoday.com/Delaware-Today/April-2009/Funny-Business/


Enjoy!

Audrey Plaza - Thinks Amy Poehler is old (Parks and Recreation)

Here Audrey Plaza tells Amy that she's old.



"I don't know. 55?"


Enjoy!

Aubrey Plaza - At Sundance 2009

Here Daniel Franzese (an actor in Bully, Mean Girls, and The Missing Person) used his iPhone to take a shot of

Aubrey Plaza

at the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 26, 2009.



Aubrey Plaza, the lead actress of the hilarious Derrick comedy movie 'Mystery Team,' outside of a screening of the new Michael Cera film 'Paper Heart.'

Aubrey is going to be in a new film with Cera, 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,' so it makes sense that she's checking out his latest film.


Enjoy!

Aubrey Plaza - On Parks and Recreation Tonight!!! (Premiere)

Parks and Recreation premieres tonight!

To celebrate, let's check out the promos!!!




"I don't know. 55?"


Here's the main promo:



That's Aubrey as the intern on the left at 0:03


A longer sneak peek:



That's Aubrey on at 2:45, 2:54,




Just Amy Poehler:



Why is this funny??? I don't know. It shouldn't be, but it is! Especially at the end!!



Good gag.


Another Amy one that isn't funny (Trans Fats):




Enjoy!

Aubrey Plaza Age - We're the #1 Google search result!!!

That's right! We're the #1 Google search result for "Aubrey Plaza Age."



Click the image to see the details!

Our Andy Samberg blog is the #3 search result.

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "'Aubrey Plaza Age'? So? What about just 'Aubrey Plaza'?"

Not so much. :)

However, we're the #1 result for "Aubrey Plaza Age" out of 84,400 results. So cut us some slack!!!!


Here's a picture of Aubrey:





Enjoy!

Aubrey Plaza Shows Us What Is, In Fact, Up

Pilgrim Watch: Aubrey Plaza Shows Us What Is, In Fact, Up



Edgar Wright has been posting a series of photos from the Toronto set of his film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. We’ve already seen shots of Mary Elizebeth Winstead, Michael Cera, Anna Kendrick and Arrested Development’s Mae Whitman. And now we get our first sort-of-look at Aubrey Plaza. Needless to say, she’s the most compelling of these mysterious character photos because (a) Aubrey Plaza is awesome — she was really good in Mystery Team and (b) the photo involves vulgarity.

Plaza is playing Julie Powers, a minor character in the books who works at the coffee shop with Scott Pilgrim (Cera)’s younger sister Stacey (Kendrick) and has a thing for throwing theme parties. Beyond that, she’s also dating Stephen Stills (Mark Webber), the rocker in the band “Sex Bob-Omb,” in which Scott Pilgrim is the bassist.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is scheduled for release for Fall 2009.

From:

http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/news/pilgrim-watch-aubrey-plaza-shows-us-what-is-in-fact-up.php


Enjoy!

Aubrey Plaza - Appreciates this blog

Aubrey Plaza shot us a comment:

"I appreciate the fan blog site though. Thats cool... Thanks!"

- aubrey


====================================

Good. Thanks Aubrey! We think you're a hilarious actress and a few producers are beginning to notice that. So we want to document your rise to popularity!

Let us know if you want us to change anything or post about anything in particular! You can contact us by leaving a comment, or you can email us at TheAnimationEmpire at Yahoo dot com. Thanks again!

Enjoy!

Aubrey Plaza - Interview in New York Magazine

New Funny Girl: Aubrey Plaza



"The Internet is pretty much how I got where I am,” says 24-year-old Aubrey Plaza, who’s currently filming Judd Apatow’s latest, Funny People, due out this summer. Plaza, a member of New York’s Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, came to Apatow’s attention while starring in a web comedy series, The Jeannie Tate Show, directed by Maggie Carey, wife of SNL’s Bill Hader. “Judd likes to cast people unconventionally,” says Plaza, who taught herself how to do stand-up comedy to win the part of Seth Rogen’s love interest.

The movie follows a group of up-and-coming comedians: “I play a kind of a young Janeane Garofalo. The great thing about the part is that she’s the girlfriend, but she’s really funny too. And Judd lets me say crazy things.” Plaza, whose next project is Amy Poehler’s as-yet-untitled sitcom, is happy to report that working on an Apatow film is just as fun as it appears to be. “They’re all so laid-back and normal. They remind me of my friends at UCB. They all act like it’s no big deal, like, ‘Oh, we’re just hanging out.’ ”



From:

http://nymag.com/news/features/all-new/53357/

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So does this mean that Aubrey was told about the part in Funny People, and then she went out to UCB and learned stand up comedy, and then she got the part? Wow.

Enjoy!

- TAE

Aubrey Plaza - Her Company, Small Wonder Productions

It's not every day that you can find so much information on a company that hasn't done anything yet! But Aubrey's found a lot of success lately with her acting career, and that will help her company find success as well...

Aiming at the big time in the Big Apple

If you hear about Small Wonder Productions, a young independent production company, you might guess from the name alone that it has a connection to Delaware. When you go to its Web site -- http://smallwonderproductions.com -- the icon of Rockford Tower makes it clear that this is a Delaware outfit. The two impresarios behind Small Wonder are Delaware natives Aubrey Plaza and Dan Murphy.

Both live in New York and have other jobs in show biz.
Plaza, a veteran in improv and in acting, is in the upcoming Judd Apatow movie "Funny People."

Plaza's story

Plaza, 24, is the daughter of Bernadette Plaza of Woodbrook and David Plaza of Alapocas; and her younger sisters are Natalie and Renee.

She graduated in 2006 from New York University and while living in New York has done a variety of things: A set design internship at "Saturday Night Live," a play (the Natalie Wood role in what she called a bad adaptation of "Rebel Without a Cause" -- so bad that when one character yelled "shoot him," the audience would chime in), a walk-on on "30 Rock," (she was leading a tour, just like she used to do as an NBC page), independent film, work for the Web (such as "Jeannie Tate," a series about a soccer mom with a talk show in her minivan) and live comedy (such as Bombardo, an all-female improv group).

As a comic, Plaza said she was inspired by Janeane Garofalo and used some of her bits early in her career.

Plaza's breakthrough role might be that part in "Funny People": A young Delawarean who improvises and does stand-up comedy (does that sound familiar?).
The cast did some public bonding together, which generated this squib in Entertainment Weekly about "three of its leading actors, Seth Rogan, Adam Sandler, and Jonah Hill. ... The yuksters made two appearances at the L.A. outpost of Upright Citizens Brigade (capacity: 92) along with 'The King of Queens' star Kevin James and newcomer Aubrey Plaza, all so they could hone their stand-up skills."

So what's Plaza like in her stand-up act? She offered this: "I love New York. It's the only city that I'm afraid of getting trash blown into my mouth. Living in New York is like living in the eye of a trash tornado."

She's been to Los Angeles enough to appear before casting directors ("it's like dating") that she cracks wise about that city, too. "I like driving in L.A. At least you have normal thoughts in the morning: 'I hope I'm not late.' In New York, on my way to work in the morning on the subway, I hope that homeless guy doesn't hit me with that mannequin hand."

David Plaza said his daughter "began performing at age 8 at the Wilmington Drama League and never looked back. ... It was clear to us early on [in her teen years] that she would pursue a career in the arts."

He recalled one stunt: While attending Ursuline Academy, one day she followed a favorite teacher -- Kay Gaglione -- home in a cardboard box on Pennsylvania Avenue. "Every time the teacher looked back, she hid inside of it. She did this all the way to the teacher's house. It was hilarious."

Comments Bernadette Plaza: "There is a group of us parents at the Wilmington Drama League who say 'Wow!' about their success."

Murphy said he and Plaza have half-jokingly discussed crafting a video that showcases their cinematic favorites in Delaware: Bellevue Park with the indoor pool in a barn ("very 'Sunset Boulevard' "), Old New Castle, the Brandywine Valley hills and Rockford Tower itself ("such a Hitchcock setting").

Meanwhile, "I have two or three feature-length scripts that I have been working on that I hope to complete and try to get them into the right hands," he said.

The next chapters

Their lives are hectic.

Separately, and with their production company, they juggle lots of ideas, lots of revisions and lots of scripts: A female "Superbad." A Web series starring Plaza as a temp. Being scouted for Montreal's Just for Laughs festival.

She favors comedy; he favors drama; but so far they have not found the right project for their production company.

They find time to visit family and friends in Delaware. But those visits may soon get harder.

Plaza is planning to move to the center of the movie universe -- Los Angeles -- and she wants Murphy to go, too.

From:
http://delawareonline.com/article/20090129/ENTERTAINMENT10/901290302/1114/ENTERTAINMENT

Let's explore their company website:

http://smallwonderproductions.com/index.html







Contact them here:



Here is their news:

1.29.09 Aubrey and Dan were interviewed for an article on Small Wonder for The News Journal's "Crossroads" section. (The article above)

11.07.08 Aubrey is in the December issue of Vanity Fair in a picture and article about Funny People!

11.06.08 Dan and John Milhiser won the Best Dogumentary award for their video for the North Shore Animal League's annual gala.

10.05.08 Aubrey got a mention in this week's issue of Entertainment Weekly. She and other cast members of "Funny People" have been performing stand-up in LA.

9.21.08 Dan premiered his documentary, "Ties That Bind", in Delaware.

9.07.08 Aubrey is heading to LA where she will be shooting a new Judd Apatow film, "Funny People", in which she plays Seth Rogen's girlfriend! Coming to a theater near you July 2009. Hopefully she will keep our LA blog updated!

Dan's new documentary, "Ties That Bind", will premiere in Wilmington on September 21st.

8.30.08 Dan is shooting and Aubrey is appearing in a new webisode series tentatively called "Untitled Hall & Oates Project"

6.08.08 Aubrey is currently in New Hampshire shooting a role in the new film "Mystery Team"

6.05.08 Small Wonder will be shooting two new shorts this summer for Quincy's upcoming shows at Joe's Pub

4.19.08 Aubrey was featured in a NY Daily News Article as one of New York's "Next Funny Ladies"

4.07.08 "The Stranger" will be screening at NYU's First Run Film Festival this Friday, April 11th at 3PM at the Cantor Film Center