Aubrey Plaza takes on first film since husband's death

San Francisco Chronicle​

08-05-2025

Aubrey Plaza is officially back to work after her husband's death in January.
The part-time Marin County resident is starring in actor and comedian Zach Woods' film, 'The Accompanist,' along with Everly Carganilla ('The Chair') and Susan Sarandon ('Thelma & Louise'), according to Deadline.
Plaza plays a rookie child-welfare agent in the drama, which is currently in postproduction. The project follows new foster parent Sylvia (Sarandon) as she takes in 9-year-old Emily (Carganilla) after her dementia-stricken grandfather nearly got her killed.
'Life can feel so lonely sometimes,' Woods said in a statement about the film, which will mark his directorial debut. 'I think it's worth telling stories about how scary, funny, and glorious it is when we're brave enough to try to find our way to each other in the dark.'
Plaza is easing back into the public eye since her husband, Jeff Baena, died by suicide on Jan. 3.
In February, the ' My Old Ass ' actor starred in a Super Bowl commercial for Ritz crackers this year that was filmed before Baena's death. She made a live television appearance during 'SNL50: The Anniversary Special' the week after, wearing a pink tie-dyed T-shirt, which many believed to be a nod to the hobby that Baena started during the COVID-19 pandemic and their wedding day outfits.
'Jeff got really into tie-dying during the quarantine, so I decided that Jeff and I were going to wear tie-dye pajamas that he had made for us (for the wedding),' Plaza revealed during an appearance on 'The Drew Barrymore Show' in December 2021, just months after Plaza casually announced their impromptu nuptials.
The couple had been together for more than a decade but separated months before Baena's death. About a month after the split, Baena allegedly made 'concerning remarks' to the actor that pushed her to 'call a friend to perform a welfare check' on him, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner.