Actor Aubrey Plaza has spoken publicly for the first time about the death of her husband, filmmaker Jeff Baena, describing the pain of his suicide as \u201ca daily struggle.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Baena, known for directing Plaza in films such as Life After Beth and The Little Hours, died by suicide in January at the age of 47 at his Los Angeles home. The couple married in 2021 after first meeting in 2011, and his death was described at the time by Plaza and his family as \u201can unimaginable tragedy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Plaza opened up during a conversation with longtime collaborator and friend Amy Poehler on Poehler\u2019s Good Hang podcast. Asked how she was managing during what Poehler called \u201ca terrible, terrible, tragic year,\u201d Plaza admitted that her grief is ongoing.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight in this very, very present moment, I feel happy to be with you,\u201d Plaza said. \u201cOverall, I\u2019m here and I\u2019m functioning. I feel really grateful to be moving through the world. I think I\u2019m OK, but it\u2019s like a daily struggle, obviously.\u201d<\/p>\n
The White Lotus and Parks and Recreation star used the Apple sci-fi horror The Gorge, starring Miles Teller, as a metaphor for her loss.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like an alien movie with Miles Teller,\u201d she explained. \u201cThere\u2019s a gorge filled with monster people trying to get them. That\u2019s what my grief feels like, at all times, there\u2019s a giant ocean of awfulness right there. Sometimes I want to dive into it, sometimes I just stare at it, sometimes I try to get away from it. But it\u2019s always there, and the monster people are always trying to get me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Baena\u2019s career included co-writing I Heart Huckabees with David O Russell, as well as directing the dark comedy Spin Me Round, which starred Plaza and Alison Brie. His work was praised for its \u201cenjoyably twisted\u201d tone, with a unique voice that left a lasting mark on independent cinema.<\/p>\n
As Plaza continues to work through her grief, she remains focused on her career. Alongside past credits like Ingrid Goes West and Emily the Criminal, she is set to appear next in Ethan Coen\u2019s upcoming comedy Honey Don\u2019t.<\/p>\n
For Plaza, however, the personal loss remains ever-present. \u201cAt all times there\u2019s this giant ocean of awfulness,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s just always there.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Actor Aubrey Plaza has spoken publicly for the first time about the death of her husband, filmmaker Jeff Baena, describing the pain of his suicide as \u201ca daily struggle.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":112361,"featured_media":163600,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48248,19415],"tags":[62899,42791,36900,53158,942,42790,13201,7880],"class_list":{"0":"post-163599","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"category-featured","9":"tag-amy-poehler","10":"tag-aubrey-plaza","11":"tag-celebrity-news","12":"tag-grief","13":"tag-hollywood","14":"tag-jeff-baena","15":"tag-podcast","16":"tag-suicide"},"yoast_head":"\n