For the Love of Aubrey

You know, the sharp, sarcastic, enchanting woman of our collective dreams who's filming The White Lotus, promoting new movies (yes, plural, and yes, they're good), and plotting her next brilliant move.

- MALLORY RICE

PHOTOGRAPHS BY ALI MITTON I FASHION BY CASSIE ANDERSON

Alejandra Alonso Rojas sweater. Jacob & Co studs.

Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello blazer, bodysuit, jeans, heels, sunglasses, and gloves. Shay Jewelry necklace.

The last time I interviewed Aubrey Plaza for Cosmo, the most stressful part of our day was deciding which slice of pie to order after lunch. ("Are boysenberries in season?" No. "So why do I keep hearing about them?" We got apple.) You don't need me to tell you how much has changed since July 2019, how what "stressful" means is so dramatically different. But it's a pleasure report that Aubrey is still essentially, refreshingly the same: doggedly creative, perpetually risk-taking, ineffably cool-and, of course, weird in a way that reminds you, constantly, that there's not a single thing in life that has to be boring or ordinary.

It's this talent she has for making even the mundane feel electric that's made her, and her career, so fascinating to watch. We first saw it with her bone-dry portrayal of bored intern April Ludgate on Parks and Recreation, but she transforms the day-to-day every chance she gets, be it during a talk show appearance or while hosting an awards ceremony. Run-of-the-mill Hollywood stuff, somehow made thrilling.