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 to 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.
Not that it's all mundanity for Aubrey-in just the past three years, she's directed for the first time (an episode of the experimental Showtime series Cinema Toast); married her longtime partner, director Jeff Baena; and shot a bunch of great films, including 2020's Black Bear and student-debt thriller (yes, that's a thing, as it kinda should be?)/Sundance favorite Emily the Criminal. She's also casually starring opposite Jason Statham and Hugh Grant in the upcoming glitzy action movie Operation Fortune, and she's written a truly delightful children's book, The Legend of the Christmas Witch. Oh, yes, and she's been cast in the second season of arguably the most talked-about show on television, The White Lotus.
This story is from the Issue 03, 2022 edition of Cosmopolitan US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the Issue 03, 2022 edition of Cosmopolitan US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
the venuture
One summer 2009 night, Julia's manager pulled her aside. A silver-haired gentleman's date was being kind of loud and messy-Julia should intervene, be extra nice to him. She got the okay to take the man up to the roof for a quiet smoke. This guy must be a big deal, she thought.
VICTORIA
Monét fans are having a thrilling 2024. Almost perfect, really, thanks to the artist's seven Grammy nominations, including Best R&B Song, Best R&B Album, and Best R&B Performance.
SOUND OF NOW
Thanks to our three cover stars-Kim Petras, Victoria Monét, and Kali Uchis-the future of music looks like something entirely new. More original, more exciting, more f*ck-yesput-this-on-my-playlistright-now. Which is exactly what each of them has been manifesting all along.
You Deserve to Take a Dating Sabbatical
And dare we say...you probably should?
The Chicest Places to Elope Right Now (Sorry, Mom)
An unforgettable vow-filled vacation with your soulmate vs. a lukewarm catered dinner with people you were forced to invite. Yeah, you get it too.
We Need to Talk About the Fentanyl in Your Party Pills
The potentially deadly substance is virtually impossible to see, smell, or taste and it's creeping into drugs you might have once considered \"safe.\"
I Hooked Up With My Friend's Dad on Vacation in Spain
It was an accident. It was also inevitable.
Black-Owned Is for Everyone
A friendly and very important-reminder from beauty editor-at-large Julee Wilson.
Becoming a Surrogate Impacted Every. Single. One.of My Relationships
It looks great on The Kardashians. But the reality can be...messy.
We Need to Talk About Perimenopause
It's a milestone health experience that may come for us all...so why are we so clueless?