Actress Aubrey Plaza has described life as “a daily struggle” in a recent interview, marking seven months since the death of her estranged husband, filmmaker Jeff Baena.
Baena, a writer, director, and producer, passed away in January at the age of 47.
Plaza addressed the aftermath of his death for the first time on former “Parks and Recreation” co-star Amy Poehler’s podcast.
When asked about her well-being, Plaza responded, “I think I’m OK,” before drawing a comparison between grief and a “giant ocean of awfulness.”
“Sometimes I just want to dive into it and just like be in it,” she explained. “Then sometimes I just look at it, and sometimes I try to get away from it. But, it’s always there.”
Plaza and Baena were married in 2021, having previously collaborated on films such as the 2014 horror-comedy “Life After Beth” and the 2017 historical comedy “The Little Hours.”
He was found deceased at his Los Angeles residence in early January.
At the beginning of their conversation on the “Good Hang” podcast, Poehler inquired about Plaza’s current state.
“Right in this very, very present moment, I feel happy to be with you,” she answered.
“Overall, I’m here and I’m functioning. I feel really grateful to be moving through the world. I think I’m OK, but it’s like a daily struggle, obviously.”
The 41-year-old actress further illustrated her experience with grief using a metaphor related to her upcoming 2025 film, “The Gorge.”
The film, starring Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy, depicts two snipers positioned on opposite sides of a mysterious chasm.
“This is 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 said.
“In the movie, there’s a cliff on one side and there’s a cliff on the other side, then there’s a gorge in between and it’s filled with all these monster people that are trying to get them.
“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 like a giant ocean of just awfulness that’s right there.”
According to the Los Angeles County Coroner Investigator, the couple had separated in September 2024.
Plaza, known for her roles in “The White Lotus” and the Marvel series “Agatha All Along,” was speaking to promote her new film, “Honey Don’t!”
Baena was renowned for writing films such as 2004’s “I Heart Huckabees,” and for both writing and directing 2016’s “Joshy,” 2017’s “The Little Hours,” and 2020’s “Horse Girl.”
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