Portraying April Ludgate on Parks and Recreation served as Aubrey Plaza's breakout role, but what has she done since? Before she was cast in the NBC sitcom, Plaza performed improv and sketch comedy while also working as an NBC page. This allowed her to work on an episode of 30 Rock in 2006. Three years later, Plaza was starring in a new NBC sitcom that would go on to jumpstart her career.
The same year that Plaza started her journey as April on Parks and Rec, she appeared in her first films, Mystery Team and Funny People. The actress continued working on various movies while filming the NBC series. In 2010, she played Julie Powers in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World before following that up with notable appearances in 10 Years, Safety Not Guaranteed, The To Do List, Charlie Countryman, and Monsters University. Plaza then continued her heavy presence in movies with roles in Life After Beth, About Alex, Ned Rifle, Playing It Cool, and Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever. As for TV during Parks and Rec's run, Plaza also worked on Portlandia, NTSF:SD:SUV::, The Legend of Korra, Drunk History, and Welcome to Sweden.
After Parks and Rec came to a conclusion in 2015, Plaza continued to split her time between TV and movie projects. The actress voiced characters in Golan the Insatiable, Castle, and SpongeBob SquarePants before appearing on Comedy Bang! Bang!, Criminal Minds, and another episode of Drunk History. In addition, Plaza appeared in prominent roles for big movies such as Dirty Grandpa, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, The Little Hours, and Ingrid Goes West.
More recently, Plaza portrayed Lenny Busker on the FX series, Legion. The show, based on the character from Marvel Comics, debuted in 2017. It ran for three seasons before concluding in August 2019. Plaza's performance was critically acclaimed throughout the show's run. Even though Legion came to an end, 2019 has still been a big year for the actress. She hosted the 34th Independent Spirit Awards and also returned for a new episode of Drunk History and Crank Yankers. Most notable, however, was Plaza's portrayal as Karen Barclay in Child's Play. The film served as a remake of the 1988 movie as well as a reboot of the franchise.
Next up, the former Parks and Recreation star will be the lead in the film, Black Bear. The thriller, directed by Lawrence Michael Levine, follows a female filmmaker (Plaza) who needs an escape from her rocky past so she travels to a rural retreat. She then finds that the woods summon her inner demons and the darkness inside of her. Black Bear will also star Christopher Abbott and Sarah Gadon. The project is currently in post-production but there's no news on the release date as of yet.