This is how Aubrey Plaza feels about being called a “deadpan” actor
Maintaining a poker face for a living may sound like a cake walk, but that’s only because the performers who have it down to a science are extremely good at their jobs. When it comes to Aubrey Plaza being called a “deadpan” actor, the 33-year-old wants audiences to understand precisely how much skill it takes to maintain a steely mug, shot after shot.
In a recent interview with Rogue magazine, the former Parks and Recreation star discussed how she feels about the deadpan label after portraying the comedic series’ beloved, stone-faced, unapologetically blunt queen of blinkless stare downs April Ludgate.
What Plaza really finds bothersome about the label is that people solely focus on Ludgate’s dry delivery and completely overlook other characteristics that showed her human side.
A post shared by Rogue Magazine (@roguemagazine) on Jun 22, 2017 at 5:25pm PDT
A post shared by Rogue Magazine (@roguemagazine) on Jun 22, 2017 at 7:48pm PDT
“Being a ‘deadpan’ actor and comedian is harder than people think,” Plaza told Rogue. “Being funny with doing nothing at all is a skill that some people have honed that is really hard. There is a lot going on, even though it seems like there’s nothing going on. The frustrating thing about being labeled as ‘deadpan’ is that, for me, April Ludgate was a human being that had so many things going on and motivations for everything she said and did.”
We couldn’t agree more with Aubrey, and our appreciation for her talents are endless.
Despite her open hatred for other humans and overall meanness, there were obviously so many other layers to April’s personality. Thanks to Plaza’s expert portrayal, many of the show’s fans were able to see past the snark and even make a case for why Ludgate would make one hell of a best friend.
