Aubrey Plaza is understandably excited about working with The Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola. In August, it was announced that Plaza was joining the cast of Megalopolis, the director’s passion project. Plaza joined a star-studded ensemble cast that included Adam Driver, Forest Whitaker, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jon Voight, and Laurence Fishburne. Since news of Plaza’s involvement, Dustin Hoffman, Shia LaBeouf, and Jason Schwartzman, among others, have also signed on for the anticipated film.
While appearing on In the Envelope: The Actor’s Podcast, Plaza praised the respected director, saying:
The award-winning director rose to stardom after the release of The Godfather in 1972. His work on the film and its sequel earned him numerous accolades, as did his work on Patton, Apocalypse Now and American Graffiti. Megalopolis is being financed by Coppola, who sold a piece of his eponymous winery to fund the project. As well as directing, Coppola penned the script for the film. The director previously described Megalopolis as a love story about a woman who is “divided between loyalties to two men.”
“For a really long time, I’ve been manifesting [the idea that I want] to work with a brilliant director. Who [could] be more brilliant than Francis Ford Coppola, one of the greatest living directors? It’s really hard to get parts in movies where you’re working with directors that have made a lot of films. I don’t regret anything I’ve done. I love working with first-time directors; I’ll never stop doing that, because I love it so much. But there’s been a part of me for a while that’s like, I really want to work with a really seasoned director. I would say Francis Ford Coppola—that guy is seasoned."
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Plaza rose to popularity for her hilarious portrayal of April Ludgate on NBC’s beloved workplace mockumentary Parks and Recreation. She later appeared in films including The Little Hours, Ingrid Goes West, Black Bear, and most recently, Emily the Criminal, where she portrayed the titular character. She currently stars in the second season of HBO’s hit series The White Lotus and voices Laura Feinberg on the adult animated series Little Demon. She will next appear in Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, with Jason Statham, Carye Elwes and Josh Hartnett next year.
Earlier this month, news circulated that Plaza was joining the MCU for the WandaVision spinoff Agatha: Coven of Chaos. While her character details remain unknown, she is expected to portray a villain. During the same interview with In the Envelope: The Actor’s Podcast, Plaza said the main reason for joining the MCU was to work with Parks and Recreation co-star Kathryn Hahn again.
Earlier this year, Plaza said she’d love to direct a film at some point in her career. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that she is impressed by Coppola’s passion for filmmaking:
“I auditioned for him with no expectations to get the part. I was really just like, man, I just want to meet the guy. Even if I have a five-minute Zoom, that would be enough for me. I love his passion. I feel lucky and completely humbled to be a part of ‘Megalopolis.’ We start shooting this week, so TBD what’s going to go down; but so far, the rehearsal process and the process I’ve been through is blowing my mind. It’s such a reminder that movies can be magical. This guy is really not operating in the Hollywood system at all, and he’s making a giant movie. It’s just so fucking amazing to be around someone that has a passion for movies like me and feels the same way—that the process of making the movie is just as important as the end result.”
