Aubrey Plaza is known for her snarky, hilarious roles, like the badass April Ludgate on NBC's Parks and Recreation. But she's also tried her hand at horror recently as Andy's mom, Karen Barclay, in the 2019 remake of Child's Play. The actress has even done some improv and producing.
While the comedian herself is open-minded and original, with the personality of an INTP, or "The Logician," some of the characters she's played have different MBTI results. Most of her characters remain in the realm of the strange, dark, or quirky, and while she shares similarities with several of them, Plaza definitely still has the range for portraying a variety of people.
Tatiana: ISFP
In Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, Plaza plays Tatiana, a slacker party girl who acts like a sweet, innocent teacher in order to score some free tickets to Hawaii from Adam Devine. The character is an example of one of Plaza's least like herself roles, as Tatiana is an ISFP, or "The Adventurer." Tatiana is brave and reckless, a person who would never want to be boxed in and needs her independence.
Tatiana is creative and competitive, living in the moment as she embarks on her latest adventure--whether it's an all-nighter on the town or posing as a respectable wedding date.
Lulu Danger: INTJ
An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn is one of the weirdest movies ever made, which is why Aubrey Plaza was the perfect person to play Lulu Danger against Jemaine Clement's Colin Keith Threadener, one of the most awkward pairings since Punch Drunk Love. Lulu is an opportunistic INTJ, "The Architect" who uses quick, strategic thinking to make a plan to seek out her long lost lover who faked his own demise.
Danger is highly analytical, demanding to know not just the answers to her questions but also the why and how of everything. She's also not very adept at romance, vacillating between different characters as she awkwardly decides which one she prefers best.
Daisy Danby: INTP
Funny People was definitely a flop of a film, but it was one of Plaza's first big roles in a movie, and she was one of the better characters as Daisy Danby, who admits to crushing on James McAvoy and Jude Law. Danby is an INTP, "The Logician," which is no wonder, since Plaza wrote her own jokes for the movie.
Danby is, in her own words, an independent woman, and she doesn't care if she hurts Ira's feelings when she's blunt and honest with him, because honesty is much more important to her than mincing words. She's correct in that she doesn't need his permission to date other people when they haven't even been on a date yet and puts him in his place for being rude about it.
Ingrid Thorburn: ESFJ
In the film Ingrid Goes West, Plaza plays the titular character Ingrid Thorburn, a mentally unstable young woman obsessed with social media. She is a cautionary tale, a reflection of what our society sometimes seems like and a reminder that no matter what your MBTI score might be, you're not always going to play to your own strengths.
In Ingrid's case, she is an ESFJ, "The Consul" the extreme. She could be warm and loyal, but instead she's so obsessed with what others think of her and her social status that it leads to her near destruction. She uses that near destruction, in fact, to get more social media responses, and smiles based on her "fan" reactions.
Darius Britt: INFP
Safety Not Guaranteed is one of Plaza's best movies. A moving, romantic sci-fi/comedy, it features Plaza as Darius Britt, a lowly intern who embarks on a great adventure. This is a rare role for Plaza, who plays an INFP, "The Mediator," a creative and open-minded young woman who sees the good in the trio's subject before the other writers can.
Britt is hard to get to know, and her original thinking truly manifests when she connects with Calloway when the rest of her team fails at the job--not because she's just a pretty face but because she challenges him with her forwardness and passion, even if it's on the dark side.
Sarah: ENTJ
Hailed as "The Big Chill for Millennials," About Alex is another example of a stellar performance from Plaza, although the film itself wasn't as successful as some of her other movies. In this case she portrays a much more "normal" character in a not-as-normal situation. As Sarah, an unfulfilled attorney, she is an ENTJ, "The Commander," a natural leader who wants to organize her friends into shifts to ensure Alex's safety. But her energy and confidence is wasted on a job she doesn't really want.
The character's stubborn nature and impatience lead to her to a few relationship mishaps, which is one of the weaknesses of an ENTJ. Handing emotions is trickier business than either law or the culinary arts for Sarah.
Karen Barclay: ISFJ
Haven played mostly comedic roles, Child's Play seemed to offer Aubrey Plaza a chance to enter a much darker territory that April Ludgate surely would have approved of her exploring. As retail clerk Karen Barclay, she is down to earth and caring, an ISFJ or "The Defender."
Karen is very practical, which means she doesn't believe Andy when he comes to her about his possessed toy, but she's also not above blackmailing her boss in order to procure the demon doll in order to help Andy adjust to his move and her terrible boyfriend, which frankly takes some imagination. Even though she's generally a loyal, patient mother, it's a situation most moms don't have to endure.
Lenny Brusker: ENTP
While many fans would never have dreamed that Legion's Shadow King being played by someone like Aubrey Plaza, it's now canonical magic, and it's also one of Plaza's few extrovert roles. Lenny Busker is a fly by the seat of your pants type ENTP, "The Debater" who can talk their way out of any situation (and would, just for the fun of it).
Lenny grew up with a terrible home life and a grandmother who plied them with alcohol, forcing them to grow up quickly with a bit too much adult-knowledge. Lenny is a quick thinker, trying to bargain with Amahl for their freedom.
Julie Powers: ISTJ
In one of Plaza's earlier roles as Julie Powers from Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, she's incredibly serious and intense, an ISTJ, or "Logistician." She knows her facts and shares her wisdom with Scott, doing her duty to warn him what will happen if he continues to pursue Ramona Flowers.
Julie is all about practicality and logic, and in her mind it would make sense to stop seeking Ramona if it means all of the battles that are sure to ensue. She's very honest and direct, laying the facts out for Scott in a calm and practical manner. She is a responsible person who feels as if Scott needs to know what's ahead of him.
April Ludgate: INTP
Like the actress who portrays her on Parks and Recreation, April Ludgate is an INTP, "The Logician." She's highly introverted, private person, and quite blunt, which comes from the insensitive, and even condescending, nature of the INTP. But she's also a fantastic analytical thinker who comes up with original ideas all of the time.
She can be absent-minded and forget how many days are in a month, resulting in 94 meetings being scheduled in a single day, but she also comes up with brilliant plans, like absorbing animal control into the parks department. She's imaginative and highly enthusiastic when it comes to things that she actually cares about.