Aubrey Plaza Gives Acting Advice to Maisy Stella

Entertainment Weekly

‘My Old Ass’ co-stars Aubrey Plaza and Maisy Stella interview each other about their film careers, diving into the nuances of life on set and the entertainment industry. Aubrey shares her quirky on-set rules, like leaving her phone in the trailer and never wearing underwear, while Maisy opens up about her experience as a child actor and navigating Hollywood at a young age. The two actresses bond over their shared experiences, discussing how to find rhythm with co-stars, working on large ensemble casts, and dishing out advice for surviving the unpredictable world of acting.

Transcript

00:00It's really hard for me to say my own name.

00:02How do you say it?

00:04It's Aubrey Plaza.

00:05I am Aubrey Plaza, that is me.

00:07And I'm here to share some advice with Maisie Stella right here.

00:18How do you know when you have a great connection with a co-star?

00:20I don't know.

00:21Like you kind of can feel when someone's like just open.

00:24I think also like when people are able to be vulnerable like right away,

00:27like I feel like that's always a good sign.

00:29You know, when you're about to do a movie or something with someone,

00:32it's like you're jumping off a cliff together.

00:34So I think like it's good to start it off by being like,

00:38I got your back or something like that vibe.

00:40Have you had that?

00:41What?

00:42Where you don't have chemistry?

00:43Like what do you do?

00:44If I've had what I don't have chemistry?

00:45Yeah.

00:46It's weird because sometimes you think you don't have chemistry with someone.

00:51Sometimes it can be the opposite where you're like,

00:54I don't really like this person or this person's like really kind of like,

00:58driving me crazy.

00:59And then you watch the movie and you're like,

01:01well, it really looks like they're in love with each other or whatever it is.

01:05Even if there's something bothering me or like irking me or something,

01:09I try to like find one thing to like hang on to or focus on or something.

01:13Because at the end of the day, you got to make it work.

01:15How do you find like a rhythm when you're working with a big ensemble cast?

01:19You know, your little pocket or something.

01:21Yeah.

01:22It's kind of like a dance or something where everyone kind of knows where they fit in.

01:26And I think it's just about listening because if you're just kind of like thinking about yourself and trying to get in there,

01:31I'm on fire.

01:33My body's like on fire.

01:34Why is this happening?

01:36Is that a side effect or do you think?

01:39I honestly don't know if it's like, if there's some,

01:41if I'm having like an allergic reaction or something to this chair.

01:46Is it just me?

01:48Is this better or worse, same material?

01:50I don't know.

01:51It's fine.

01:52I think it's just my old ass.

01:53Ah, it's like, maybe I should have worn underwear, but I never do.

01:58And then I get .

02:00Sorry.

02:05Always wear underwear.

02:07Always wear underwears.

02:08Because you think, you know, I don't know, it'd be fun not to.

02:13Yeah.

02:14What are your rules?

02:15My rules for shooting?

02:17Yeah.

02:18Leave your phone in the trailer.

02:21Hmm.

02:22I like that.

02:23I'm not like a, no one's allowed to have their phone,

02:25but just so you're like present.

02:28Yeah.

02:29And like, you're just whatever.

02:30Cause you can get sucked into that phone.

02:31Uh huh.

02:32And then, um, I would say little meals.

02:35It's all about, I feel like acting is like all about,

02:38you have to like have your body in this like weird, like malleable state.

02:41Yeah.

02:42Never have to pee, you know, when you're doing a scene.

02:44Like, even if you a little bit are like, maybe I have to pee.

02:46Just like go pee.

02:47Just get it all out.

02:48Just get whatever fluids out.

02:50Be like an empty vessel.

02:51Okay.

02:52Perfect.

02:53So then the thing can, and if you don't wear underwear, it can come out faster.

02:57Right.

02:58So.

02:59That's a good tip.

03:00That's a good hack.

03:01Don't ever wear underwear, um, in life.

03:04What won't most people tell me about this industry?

03:07Like that it's nothing is real.

03:09I don't know.

03:10I think like the older I get and the more experience I have, the more I, I, I'm able

03:15to like step back and go, oh yeah.

03:17Like you're up one day, you're down the next day you're up.

03:20And I think when you're younger, it's like the highs are so high that you're like, well,

03:24once you get to a certain point, it's probably just like that there all the time.

03:28Yeah.

03:29But it's just not, it's like you get to that point and then you go, you start back from

03:34scratch and you get to that point and you start.

03:35So I think it's never going to really feel that different inside.

03:40Right.

03:41Unless you're someone that like believes the hype or something.

03:46Right.

03:47Or believes the thing.

03:48And then those people tend to kind of get out of touch with reality.

03:52And then, and then it gets weird.

03:54So tell me a bit about your early days in New York.

03:57How did you get started?

03:59How did you feel when you were getting started?

04:02Well, I was a comedian and I was doing improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater.

04:07Here.

04:08In New York.

04:09How old did you start?

04:10I started right, you know, when I was 18, I guess.

04:13Graduated from high school, came to New York to go to NYU for film.

04:17So I was a film student, but then I always wanted to be an actor.

04:20I got this acting teacher who like was teaching an acting class like in an abandoned Applebee's

04:25in Times Square.

04:26And I was paying her under the table.

04:29I don't know.

04:30True story.

04:31Daytime, you know, I'll do what you're supposed to do.

04:33And at nighttime, I'm just going to like do some weird stuff.

04:39I love that.

04:40Yeah.

04:41Parks and Rec was like, I think your character in that is just so stupidly iconic.

04:45Who's your spinning instructor, Gregory or Winona?

04:47I go to Giannis.

04:48Who are Gregory and Winona?

04:50I've never heard of them before.

04:51Are they better?

04:52Winona rocks my world.

04:54But I also, I recently watched Emily the Criminal and I thought you were so brilliant in that.

04:59Thanks.

05:00Like so, so, so brilliant.

05:01Clearly you're a bit spoiled.

05:02Spoiled?

05:03Let me be frank with you.

05:04You don't belong here.

05:05Because you think everyone is out to get you.

05:07None of us are out to get you.

05:08Oh, Jesus Christ.

05:09Especially me.

05:10I'm trying to help you.

05:11This was fantastic, Liz.

05:12Thanks very much.

05:14No more talking.

05:15Just leave.

05:16Thank you so much for coming.

05:17Hey, if you want to tell me what to do, put me on the payroll.

05:18How about that?

05:19Emily the Criminal came out right after we filmed, right?

05:22Oh yeah.

05:23It came out that fall.

05:24It came out that fall, I think.

05:25Yeah.

05:26It was a really short shoot.

05:27It was 20 days.

05:28Wow.

05:29And I know.

05:30What?

05:31Yeah, it was 20 days.

05:3221 days technically.

05:33The last day we flew to Mexico and we did that like final sequence in Mexico.

05:36Whoa.

05:37But it was really quick.

05:38It was 20 days and it was crazy.

05:40Because we shot it like, you can tell like when you watch it, it's like, there wasn't

05:43a lot of like lighting setups.

05:45It was very like.

05:46No, it looks like almost like documentary style.

05:48Yeah.

05:49Like it was down and dirty style.

05:50Yeah.

05:51I love it.

05:52But yeah, it was, the energy on that set was like kind of the energy of the movie.

05:55It felt like we were like pulling off a heist.

05:56So cool.

05:57You were a child actor, right?

05:58Yeah.

05:59Like how old were you when you started?

06:00I started working on Nashville when I was eight.

06:02That is insane.

06:03Mm-hmm.

06:04Eight years old.

06:05And did you understand when you were eight, what was happening or was it more just like,

06:10this is just weirdly my life.

06:12But like, did you actually have perspective on like, I'm on a television show and I'm

06:16like, people are watching me or.

06:18I think I was, I had a really weird thing was like, I was so happy and excited to be

06:24there, like almost like too much.

06:25So where like, I never, I never got used to it really.

06:28You loved it.

06:29I really did like love it so much.

06:30And then when it ended, it was so weird.

06:33Cause I was like being eight when you start and then 14 when it finishes.

06:37It's just like.

06:38It was that long.

06:39Yeah.

06:40I was, I was 14 when it ended.

06:41And then I was like, what do, what do I do?

06:44I feel like there's like a thing with like child actors or like, you know, people that

06:48grew up like acting as a kids and like, you don't have that quality or something.

06:53Like I'm like, I'm, I still forget that you were like you cause you're so grounded.

06:57I think it has a lot to do with being in Nashville to filming in Nashville.

07:00Yeah.

07:01So different.

07:02Like if I was filming in LA from the time I was eight to 14, it just would have been a

07:06different experience.

07:07Like filming in Nashville is like so chilled.

07:10It was like the only show that filmed there.

07:11No one cared.

07:12You still live there.

07:13Yeah.

07:14I still live there and I like love it so much.

07:15I think my advice to you would be just say no, just say no, just say no, unless you really,

07:23really want to do something and then say yes.

07:26But everything else I would say, like, forget your brain, forget what other people say.

07:31Just say no, just be like next.

07:33Okay.

07:34Yeah.

07:35Every time I talk to you, I like working with you.

07:37I learned so much from you.

07:38I think I look, you like accidentally teach me things.

07:41You're not even trying to.

07:42That's great.

07:43This is the first time you've ever like been prompted or told.

07:46I know.

07:47I didn't even know what you were doing.

07:48But I feel like you're, you're, you're very accidentally, uh, you're like an act, you

07:52know, I'm an accidental teacher.

07:53Teacher.

07:54Yeah.

07:55Great.

07:56I'll take it.

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