The Short Answer: Yes, Aubrey Plaza is Latina. Speaking on the Highly Relevant Podcast, Plaza clarified that she is half Puerto Rican and that she “leads with her Puerto Rican side” when navigating her identity in Hollywood.
Aubrey Plaza is often recognized for her deadpan comedy and indie darlings, but in a rare, in-depth conversation, she opened up about a side of her life she rarely discusses: her heritage. Plaza sat down to talk about her psychological thriller Black Bear, the challenges of producing, and growing up Puerto Rican in a conservative Irish-Catholic community.
Watch & Listen
Watch the Interview: Aubrey Plaza breaks down her identity and the “mega nightmare” of Black Bear.
Listen: Catch the full audio on the Highly Relevant Podcast.
How Aubrey Plaza Identifies
For years, there has been confusion among casual fans regarding Plaza’s background. When asked directly how she identifies, she didn’t hesitate.
“The first thing I usually say is, I’m half Puerto Rican.”
Plaza explains that despite being mixed-race, her cultural connection leans heavily toward her father’s side:
“The Puerto Rican part is usually the thing I lead with because, culturally, I think that’s how I grew up. I identify with my Puerto Rican family probably more than anything else.”
She describes a childhood filled with family gatherings that would surprise those who only know her from Parks and Rec:
“I’m half, but I’m still Puerto Rican. Both my grandparents are from Puerto Rico… I have tons of cousins in Philly, and we salsa dance in the kitchen.”
“But You’re White”: Dealing with Misconceptions
Plaza touched on the friction of growing up in a “very conservative Irish Catholic community in Delaware” where her identity was often questioned by her peers.
“I was always considered kind of the diverse one, but people were always like, ‘But you’re white.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, but I’m not.’”
She notes that this ambiguity has shaped her career and her view of Hollywood’s casting habits:
“There is something really interesting about being half Hispanic, because people judge you by the color of your skin… I try to portray Hispanic characters that aren’t the stereotypes. Especially Latino women, it’s like there’s such a stereotype there… It’s just the same kind of archetypes over and over again.”
Does Aubrey Plaza Speak Spanish?
While she connects culturally, Plaza admits that the language barrier exists, a common experience for many second and third-generation Latinos in the U.S.
“I do [speak some], but I’m not fluent. I blame my father and I blame my grandfather for that… My grandfather was a police officer in Philadelphia… he was very disciplined about them speaking English as their first language.”
She admits that confidence is the main hurdle now: “My family speaks Spanish, and when I’m around them, they’ll speak Spanish to me. But I’m not as confident, so I always respond in English.”
Deconstructing Black Bear
Beyond identity, the interview dives deep into her film Black Bear, a movie Plaza describes as “two nightmares interwoven to make one mega nightmare.”
In the film, she plays Allison, a filmmaker suffering from writer’s block who retreats to a lake house. Plaza, who also produced the film, describes it as a deconstruction of the creative process itself:
“It’s about a filmmaker… who has arrived at this lake house in the middle of nowhere on some kind of creative exploration… She becomes entangled in this toxic dynamic [with a married couple]… and it escalates to a point that you can’t even believe.”
FAQ
Is Aubrey Plaza Puerto Rican?
Yes. In her interview on the Highly Relevant Podcast, she confirms she is half Puerto Rican, with both paternal grandparents hailing from the island.
Does Aubrey Plaza speak Spanish?
She is not fluent. She states that while her family speaks it, her grandfather emphasized English assimilation, leading to a generation gap in language fluency.
