Over the last handful of years, Aubrey Plaza has turned into one of our most versatile actresses. On The White Lotus, she’s great as a self-hating member of the nouveau riche, just as she’s fantastic as a desperate woman embracing her dark side in Emily the Criminal. But the world first got to know the former April Ludgate thanks to her fearless, unhinged comedic chops. That side of her will surely be on display when she finally hosts SNL for the first time this weekend. And it’s already there even in the new promo for her big episode.
It finds this week’s host talking shop with cast member Chloe Fineman, who turned heads late last year for her spot-on take on Plaza’s White Lotus colleague Jennifer Coolidge. In the ad, Plaza compliments Fineman some of her other impersonations, including her top shelf Drew Barrymore. So Plaza shows Fineman some of her own.
Fineman isn’t as blown away by Plaza as Plaza is with her, but mostly because she’s chosen some, shall we say, unlikely people to impersonate. Like Marcia Gay Harden’s Oscar-winning work in Pollock, Ed Harris’ 23-year-old biopic about painter Jackson Pollock. Who was expecting a Pollock reference in the year 2023? Ditto Annette Bening in American Beauty. They’re predictably unpredictable choices on Plaza’s part, as is the moment when she leans in for a leftfield smooch with the SNL regular.
You can watch the promo in the video above. Plaza’s SNL episode, featuring musical guest Smith, airs Saturday night on NBC starting at 11:30pm.
