Aubrey Plaza Bombed A Horror Movie Audition Because She Was Too Crazy

Aubrey Plaza bombed a Scream audition by going full method and acting like a killer.

By Matthew Creith | Published

As the second season of the anthology television show The White Lotus prepares for its premiere on HBO Max this weekend, series star Aubrey Plaza is making the rounds being interviewed on a press tour for the show and her newest film, Emily the Criminal. Plaza noted in a recent interview with Hits Radio (via MovieWeb) that she once auditioned for a role in Scream 4, but was turned down because she bombed the audition because she “went full method” in playing a character she knew would turn out to be the killer. The Scream franchise is known for not revealing the killer until the very end of each installment, and Plaza tried to appear murderous in her audition which defeated the purpose of shielding the killer’s identity to begin with.

Aubrey Plaza would have made a great addition to Scream 4 for director Wes Craven, although she read for the part of Sidney Prescott’s cousin Jill, who was masterfully played by actor Emma Roberts. Knowing she did not land the role in a well-touted horror franchise, Plaza ended up in a different slasher flick when she was part of the remake of Child’s Play, the movie about Chucky, a child’s doll that comes to life and goes on a murder spree.

Plaza’s current role as Emily Benetto in Emily the Criminal sees the actor in a crime thriller as the titular character who gets involved in a credit card scam which leads to horrific consequences as she discovers the criminal element inhabiting Los Angeles, California.

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Prior to her failed audition for a classic horror movie, as well as her turn as a criminal in this year’s newest crime thriller, Aubrey Plaza has defined her acting career in comedies for both television and film. Gaining global attention for her work for seven seasons as April Ludgate, the youngest member of the cast on the hit NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation, Plaza moved into more sophisticated work in offbeat comedies on the big screen playing opposite Mark Duplass in Safety Not Guaranteed, Michael Cera in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and Zac Efron in Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates.

Working with director and now husband Jeff Baena, Plaza has starred in several independent features including 2014’s Life After Beth, 2017’s The Little Hours, and this year’s Italian-themed comedy Spin Me Round alongside friend Alison Brie.

Aubrey Plaza’s Emily the Criminal debuted earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival and was released in theaters on August 12, ahead of her debut in the second season of The White Lotus. While the first season of Mike White’s The White Lotus featured an ensemble group of actors that helped to skew the wealthy on a Hawaiian beach resort, the second installment will star Plaza alongside Jennifer Coolidge, F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hollander, Theo James, and Michael Imperioli in a season about sexuality set in Sicily, Italy.

Premiering on HBO Max on October 30, The White Lotus season 2 will run for seven episodes and conclude on December 11, just in time for the holiday season.