Aubrey Plaza and Craig Robinson have teamed up for director Jim Hosking’s latest crime-comedy film An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn after orbiting each other’s careers for quite some time.
The comedic duo rose to fame after landing roles on Greg Daniels’ acclaimed single-camera NBC shows — Robinson played Darryl Philbin on The Office, and Plaza played April Ludgate on the political-satire Parks and Recreation.
Plaza’s latest turn finds her portraying a recently fired cappuccino shop employee, dissatisfied Lulu Danger, who is stunned when a TV commercial for “An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn for One Magical Night Only” reveals a mysterious man from her past (Robinson).
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The actress, most noted for dead-pan delivery, admitted to The Hollywood Reporter that she had to read the script twice before she understood the hidden nuances.
“I think what I loved about it was that really at its core it was just a love story with insane characters,” she said.
Hosking’s first film, The Greasy Strangler, caught the attention of both actors, who admired the director’s craftsmanship and in turn wanted to help carry out his latest screenplay. “I had never seen anything like that before and I was like, ‘I want to work with this guy,’” said Plaza.
Robinson noted that he had seen Hosking’s directorial debut prior to reading his script and his viewing became an entry-way into the project.
“Once I read the script and saw what my character was up to, it became this [situation] to see if I could rise to the challenge,” he said.
Plaza’s own interest in the stylistic film was only heightened after being permitted to handle the creative vision of her character.
“The way that Lulu looks was really one of the most exciting things about it for me,” said Plaza. “[Hosking] really let us do whatever we wanted and it was really up for interpretation. The movie is not set in a grounded reality so we could do some weird stuff there. It all felt very romantic to me, my wardrobe and everything.”
As far as the future of comedy is concerned, both performers agree that it will stem from the world around us and the reactions being produced.
“If I have anything to do with it, it’s going to come from reality and my spirit,” said Robinson.
Plaza mused that it will be interesting to see what type of comedy people gravitate toward, whether it be kind of real or insane, as we enter “intense times.”
“Comedy is like our relief from all the messed up things in the world, so that will change and take many forms,” she said.
An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn is available in select theaters, On Demand and Digital HD on October 19.
Watch the video above to hear how the comedic duo cultivated a natural chemistry on set, what they admire about one another and more.
