Random Facts That Prove Aubrey Plaza Might Be April Ludgate IRL (15 items)

(#3) She Took An NBC Page Uniform

In one memorable Parks and Recreation episode, April takes her father's car so she and Andy can drive to the Grand Canyon. Like her character, Plaza occasionally has sticky fingers. NBC fired her from its much-respected page program, which has employees giving tours of the 30 Rock building.

The actress did not want to return her uniform. She explained the firing to Elle:

I wasn't used to working in a corporate environment like NBC where there are HR rules. It's fuzzy to me exactly what happened, but I think I made a joke about Jesus being crucified or I wrote it on a wall, and I got in trouble. Three or four months after I started, they were like, "Maybe this isn't right for you," and I was like, "Maybe it isn't."
(#8) She Almost Married Michael Cera

Before her current long-term relationship with writer/director Jeff Baena, Plaza dated Michael Cera, with whom she starred in the movie Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Their relationship was apparently pretty serious. She revealed on RuPaul's What's the Tee? podcast that she and Cera almost got married.

After dating for a year and a half, the two took a road trip from Chicago to Los Angeles. Along the way, they strongly considered swinging through Las Vegas to tie the knot. Though she didn't say what changed their minds, Plaza did acknowledge that Cera remains "very special" to her.
(#12) She Was Voted The Most Famous Person From Delaware

Plaza hails from Delaware, the second-smallest state in America. A 2018 poll gave the actress a distinct honor, naming her Delaware's Most Famous Person. Lest you think the competition wasn't too tough on that count, it's important to consider some of the people she beat out, including former Vice President Joe Biden, Oscar-nominated actress Elisabeth Shue, and rocker George Thorogood. In fact, she raked in 42% of the vote - more than the rest of the top 5 combined.

Her official statement was perfectly in line with her offbeat personality: "I'm so honored and incredibly surprised, but deep down, I feel like I've accomplished nothing. I feel empty inside."
(#9) She's A Member Of A Basketball Team

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Basketball has played a significant role in the lives of both April Ludgate and her real-life counterpart, albeit to different levels of success. In the "Comeback Kid" episode, April books a basketball court for Leslie's political campaign rally, unaware that it's become an ice rink.

Plaza, meanwhile, is a point guard on the Pistol Shrimps, a rec-league basketball team in Los Angeles comprising women from various creative industries. The team was the subject of a 2016 documentary bearing their name, and they also have a podcast, Pistol Shrimps Radio.
(#13) She Dreamed Of Being In A Broadway Musical

Plaza grew up obsessed with Judy Garland, so she was naturally drawn to Broadway. After doing some community theater in her home state of Delaware, she begged her mother to drive her to New York City so she could audition for a stage production of Garland's classic film The Wizard of Oz, which was being staged at Madison Square Garden.

"I had no chance of getting a part - I mean, no chance in the world," Plaza told Marie Claire. "An open casting at Madison Square Garden? But I guess it just reminds me of how delusional I was at a young age, that I really believed I had a shot."
(#7) She Was Surrounded By Comedians Before Getting Famous

It's no wonder Plaza is hilarious. Long before she became famous on Parks and Recreation, she was surrounded by some of the most talented comedians in the world. While attending NYU's Tisch School for the Arts, she got an internship on the legendary late-night sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live.

Shortly thereafter, she secured a spot on the roster at the Upright Citizens Brigade - the same improv theater that helped launch the careers of Kate McKinnon, Donald Glover, and future co-star Amy Poehler. Another future co-star, Aziz Ansari, was there at the same time.

Exposure at UCB brought her to the attention of writer/director/comedy guru Judd Apatow, who gave her a supporting role in his film Funny People, opposite Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen. Parks and Rec came right after that.