Sundance: Justin Bieber Gave His Blessing for Aubrey Plaza Comedy ‘My Old Ass’

Heading into the fest, Megan Park’s sophomore feature My Old Ass was one of the most anticipated of the fest. During its Saturday night premiere at the Eccles Theater, prime real estate as far as the fest goes, it did not disappoint the audience gathered, which gave the coming-of-age comedy a standing ovation.

My Old Ass stars Maisy Stella as Elliot, a teen in a small Canadian town who is in her final month of summer before college when she and her friends imbibe in some ill-begotten shrooms. During her trip, Elliot comes face-to-face with her older self, played by Aubrey Plaza, who gives her words of wisdom and a warning: Don’t fall in love with a boy named Chad.

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Outside of the welcoming Sundance audience, another person that approved of My Old Ass: Justin Bieber.

During another drug-induced dream montage, Elliot dreams up performing Bieber’s song “One Less Lonely Girl” to her crush, Chad (Percy Hynes White).

“We weren’t sure Justin was going to let us,” said Park in a post-screening Q&A about needing Bieber’s sign-off. “Once he gave us the go-ahead, we were thrilled. We leaned into it even more.” Park, who is Canadian, also noted all of the songs used in the film’s soundtrack are from Canadian artists, so the Canada-born pop star was the ideal choice for the montage.

“Guys, Justin Bieber watched that,” said Stella of the sequence which saw her as a Bieber stand-in, complete with mic and backup dancers/best friends, played by Maddie Ziegler and Kerrice Brooks. “Justin Bieber watched that, which makes me so ill.”

Plaza, who was on hand for the premiere, talked about signing on to the project after she heard the film’s name. “I was like, My Old Ass? I’m in!” She added of Park, “Megan is the only director I have worked with to ride a Jet Ski to work.”

My Old Ass, which has been garnering positive reviews and is up for sale out of the fest, was produced by Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap.

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