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1. April Ludgate — Parks and Recreation (2009–2015)
April’s flat delivery and gleeful hostility made her Plaza’s signature character, but the role’s staying power comes from what gradually appears beneath the sarcasm: loyalty, affection and a willingness to grow without losing her edge. Hulu identifies April as the role for which Plaza is best known, and the series ran seven seasons. If you’re asking what to watch Aubrey Plaza in first, start here.
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2. Ingrid Thorburn — Ingrid Goes West (2017)
Plaza makes Ingrid’s online envy and hunger for connection funny, alarming and, at moments, painful to watch. As both lead actor and producer, she gives the character more than a diagnosis or a punchline. Plaza said she considered psychological interpretations but did not want the film to be completely about mental illness. That nuance helps make Ingrid a character study rather than a label.
3. Lenny Busker — Legion (2017–2019)
In this surreal series, Plaza gets to be startlingly changeable, moving well beyond the clipped deadpan associated with her sitcom work. Lenny is identified in the series press kit as David Haller’s friend, but the role’s force comes from how unpredictable Plaza makes that presence. It is one of her most formally adventurous performances.
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- Shrink-wrapped
4. Harper Spiller — The White Lotus (season two, 2022)
As a skeptical outsider among vacationing couples, Harper turns watchfulness into a source of tension. Plaza keeps the performance controlled as Harper’s observations and loyalties shift, letting small changes carry weight. The role earned Plaza a 2023 Golden Globe nomination for supporting actress in a limited or anthology series or television movie.
5. Emily Benetto — Emily the Criminal (2022)
Plaza leads this crime story as a woman drawn into credit-card fraud while trying to escape precarious work and debt. Her performance is forceful without making Emily’s choices seem simple. Plaza also produced the film; the Cannes press-kit biography notes Gotham and Independent Spirit nominations for her performance.
6. Darius Britt — Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)
One of Plaza’s early leading roles, Darius begins as a guarded journalist investigating a man who claims he can travel through time. Her curiosity slowly opens a softer side without turning the character into someone else. The role won Plaza the 2012 ALMA Award for Favorite Movie Actress – Comedy/Musical.
Rank #2
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7. Riley — Happiest Season (2020)
Riley is a useful counterpoint to Plaza’s more abrasive or unsettling characters: warmer, more openly vulnerable and at home in a romantic comedy. The role shows how effectively she can create chemistry and emotional friction without relying on her familiar deadpan.
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Brandy approaches sexual experience with the methodical intensity of a high-achieving student trying to prepare for an exam. Plaza turns that over-planning into the comic engine of the film. TIME described the character’s “Poindexter-tinged mania,” a fitting shorthand for the role’s blend of ambition and awkwardness.
9. Julie Powers — Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
In Edgar Wright’s fast, stylized ensemble comedy, Plaza makes Julie a sharply defined presence even in a crowded cast. It is a supporting role, but her timing gives the character a memorable sting.
Rank #3
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10. Beth Slocum — Life After Beth (2014)
Plaza plays Beth, a young woman who returns as a zombie, in a playful genre detour that makes literal what many of her other characters suggest metaphorically. The premise lets her combine familiar comic timing with the strange physicality of a monster story.
11. Sister Fernanda — The Little Hours (2017)
This bawdy period comedy adapts material from The Decameron, and Plaza’s Sister Fernanda is part of an irreverent ensemble of nuns. The role suits her talent for treating outrageous behavior with an almost dispassionate seriousness.
12. Danielle — Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016)
Danielle is a brash, manipulative presence in a broad studio farce. Plaza leans into the character’s crassness and sharp timing, making this one of her most unabashedly rowdy comic performances.
Rank #4
13. Allison — Black Bear (2020)
In this meta-drama, Plaza plays Allison, an actor and filmmaker caught in a shifting story about art and control. It demands a different kind of precision from her broader comedies, and she also served as a producer. Hulu’s biography relays strong reviews for her performance.
14. Lucy Stanbridge — Best Sellers (2021)
Opposite Michael Caine, Plaza plays a young publisher in a lighter industry comedy. Lucy offers a breezier complement to the morally and emotionally knotty leads higher on this list.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.15. Wow Platinum — Megalopolis (2024)
Plaza plays Wow Platinum in Francis Ford Coppola’s large-scale ensemble film. It is a deliberately eccentric supporting part, with less screen time than the leading roles above, but it provides another marker of her range across tone and scale.
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Why these roles show more than one Aubrey Plaza
Plaza has pushed back on being boxed into a single performance type. In a 2015 TIME interview, she said, “Once someone sees you do one thing, they just want to see you do it over and over again.” The roles here make the case for her versatility: April’s long-form comic evolution, Ingrid’s exposed volatility, Lenny’s genre-bending shifts and Harper’s dramatic restraint each draw on a different part of her work.
For viewers choosing what to watch next, the best starting point depends on the mood: Parks and Recreation for the defining sitcom performance, Ingrid Goes West for dark comedy with emotional unease, Legion for strangeness, or The White Lotus for tightly observed drama.
Quick Recap
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