Aubrey Plaza is speaking candidly for the first time about her late husband, filmmaker Jeff Baena, and the grief she’s been living with since his passing earlier this year.
It’s been nearly seven months since Baena tragically died by suicide at age 47, and while the Parks and Recreation star has returned to work and public appearances, she admits that the pain remains an ongoing challenge.
Plaza recently joined longtime friend and co-star Amy Poehler on her podcast “Good Hang,” where Poehler compassionately broached the topic. “You’ve had this terrible, terrible tragic year. You lost your husband. You’ve been dealing with that and you’ve been looking for all different ways to feel and find support,” Poehler said. “On behalf of all the people who feel they know you and the people who do know you, how are you feeling today?”
Plaza didn’t shy away from the question, choosing honesty about where she’s at in her journey. “Right in this very, very present moment I feel happy to be with you,” she responded. “I feel, overall, I’m here and I’m functioning and I feel really grateful to be moving through the world. I think I’m OK. But, it’s a daily struggle, obviously.”
The actress went on to describe her grief through an unexpected — yet striking — pop culture comparison. “This is like a really dumb analogy, and it was kind of a joke at a certain point, but I actually mean it — did you see that movie, The Gorge?” Plaza asked. “It’s like an alien movie with Miles Teller, but in the movie, there’s a cliff on one side and then there’s a cliff on the other side and then there’s a gorge in between and it’s filled with all these monster people that are trying to get them.”
She continued: “I swear, when I watched it, I was like, that feels like what my grief is like — or what grief could be like — at all times there’s a giant ocean of awfulness that’s right there and I can see it. Sometimes I just want to dive into it and be in it and sometimes I just look at it and sometimes I try to get away from it, but it’s always there. It’s just always there and the monster people are trying to get me, like Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy.”
Baena, known for his work on indie films such as Life After Beth, Joshy, The Little Hours and Spin Me Round, was found at his Los Angeles home in January. He and Plaza had been together since 2011 but kept their marriage private until 2021, often choosing to let their creative collaborations speak for themselves.
Following his death, Plaza and their families released a joint statement: “This is an unimaginable tragedy. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time.”
If you or someone you know is struggling, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached by dialing 988. The free, confidential service is available 24/7 for anyone in crisis or in need of support.
