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Aubrey Plaza Opens Up on Husband Jeff Baena’s Death in Candid Interview

Story Highlights

Aubrey Plaza husband Jeff Baena death confirmed in January
Baena, 47, died by suicide at his Los Angeles home
Plaza says grief feels “like an ocean of awfulness”
Couple married in 2021 after meeting in 2011
Baena directed Life After Beth, The Little Hours; co-wrote I Heart Huckabees

“I Feel Grateful, But It’s a Daily Struggle”

During her appearance on Amy Poehler’s podcast Good Hang, Plaza was asked how she was coping during what Poehler called “a terrible, terrible, tragic year.”

Plaza responded:
“Right in this very, very present moment, I feel happy to be with you. 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.”

Remembering Jeff Baena

Jeff Baena, 47, was found dead at his Los Angeles home earlier this year. His death was later confirmed as suicide. At the time, Aubrey Plaza and Baena’s family issued a joint statement, describing the loss as “an unimaginable tragedy.”

Baena was widely recognized for his offbeat comedies. He directed Life After Beth and The Little Hours, both starring Plaza, and co-wrote the acclaimed I Heart Huckabees with David O. Russell. His final film, Spin Me Round, featured Plaza alongside Alison Brie.

In a Guardian obituary, critic Ryan Gilbey praised Baena’s work as “enjoyably twisted,” highlighting his unique voice in independent cinema.

“Grief Feels Like a Gorge Filled with Monsters”

Plaza shared a metaphor inspired by the Apple sci-fi horror film The Gorge, starring Miles Teller, to explain how grief has felt since Baena’s passing.

“It’s like an alien movie with Miles Teller,” Plaza said. “In the movie, there’s a cliff on one side and a cliff on the other side and 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’s what this feels like, what my grief is like.’”

She continued:
“At all times there’s a giant ocean of awfulness that’s right there. Sometimes I just want to dive into it, sometimes I just look at it, and sometimes I’m just trying to get away from it. But it’s always there. And the monster people are trying to get me like Miles Teller.”

A Relationship Spanning a Decade

Aubrey Plaza and Jeff Baena first met in 2011, developing both a personal and professional partnership. They worked together on several projects before marrying in 2021.

Plaza’s openness about her grief highlights the challenges faced by those coping with sudden loss. Her remarks also show how art and film can sometimes provide unexpected ways to describe emotions that are otherwise difficult to express.

Plaza’s Career Continues Amid Personal Loss

Despite the tragedy, Plaza remains active in her career. Known for her roles in Parks and Recreation, Ingrid Goes West, and Emily the Criminal, she will next appear in Ethan Coen’s upcoming comedy Honey Don’t.

For Plaza, continuing to work is part of moving forward, even as the memory of Baena remains constant.

The death of Jeff Baena has left a lasting impact on Aubrey Plaza, who continues to navigate life after tragedy with honesty and resilience. Her reflections on grief reveal both the depth of her loss and her determination to keep moving forward. While Plaza acknowledges that the pain is “always there,” she remains focused on her work and the creative legacy she shared with her husband. As she steps into new projects, Plaza carries Baena’s memory with her, reminding audiences that behind her success is a story of love, partnership, and profound loss.

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Brad Pitt’s F1 Drives Big at Box Office as M3GAN Sequel Misses the Mark

🏁 STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Global Opening Weekend: $144 million
North American Debut: $55.6 million
International Box Office: $88.4 million
Production Budget: Estimated $200M–$300M
Lead Cast: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Javier Bardem
Premium Screens Contribution: 58% of sales, $27.7M from IMAX alone
CinemaScore: A rating
Apple’s First Major Box Office Success

Apple Original Films has found its first box office breakthrough with F1, a high-speed racing drama starring Brad Pitt and directed by Joseph Kosinski of Top Gun: Maverick fame. The film roared into theaters with a strong $55.6 million opening in North America and an even more impressive $88.4 million internationally, combining for a global launch of $144 million. This marks the biggest worldwide opening of Pitt’s multi-decade career — not adjusted for inflation — and a significant pivot point for Apple’s theatrical ambitions.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF RACE FOR APPLE

For Apple, the journey to the big screen has been anything but smooth. Despite the company’s dominance in tech and streaming, its earlier cinematic ventures — notably Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon and Ridley Scott’s Napoleon — didn’t quite rev up audiences or the box office. But F1 appears to have shifted gears.

With Warner Bros. handling distribution and both studios sharing the marketing load, the film benefited from a promotional campaign that critics and analysts have described as among the most energetic and expansive of the summer. According to Comscore’s Paul Dergarabedian, “F1 overperformed thanks to a full-throttle marketing push, smart timing, and premium format appeal.”

STAR POWER MEETS SPEED

In F1, Brad Pitt plays a retired and injured former Formula One driver who returns to the sport, this time partnering with a rising talent portrayed by Damson Idris. Javier Bardem plays the flamboyant team owner who brings the duo together. The story blends personal redemption with high-stakes racing, offering a character-driven narrative wrapped in visually immersive speed sequences.

The film received strong audience feedback, boasting an “A” CinemaScore and near-perfect exit polls. Behind the scenes, the project assembled a powerful team: Formula One icon Lewis Hamilton came aboard as producer alongside Jerry Bruckheimer, Kosinski, and Pitt’s Plan B collaborators.

VISUAL HORSEPOWER DRIVES TICKET SALES

A major part of F1’s box office muscle came from its use of premium large-format (PLF) screens. Approximately 58% of total ticket sales were for formats like IMAX and Dolby Cinemas, with IMAX alone contributing $27.7 million, or 19.2% of the film’s total global take. This ranks as the fourth-largest percentage share for IMAX in its history.

The collaboration between IMAX, Kosinski, and Bruckheimer during the film’s production and post-production was key. From the roar of engines to cockpit close-ups, the format captured the essence of Formula One in ways traditional screens simply can’t.

A RISKY INVESTMENT

However, victory isn’t guaranteed. The movie’s net production cost was $200 million, with some estimates placing it closer to $300 million when factoring in marketing. That’s a tall order for any film, especially one centered on a sport that has only recently started to grow in popularity in the U.S.

Still, Apple operates with a business model unlike traditional studios. Box office numbers, while important, are part of a larger ecosystem — one where prestige, brand association, and streaming value play equally crucial roles.

A HARD BRAKE FOR M3GAN 2.0

While F1 accelerated, Blumhouse and Atomic Monster’s M3GAN 2.0 hit a speed bump. The horror sequel opened with just $10.2 million domestically, a disappointing showing against predictions and less than half the original’s $30.4 million debut in January 2023. Globally, the sequel scraped together $17.2 million, despite having a $25 million budget.

Although the film skewed 53% female, the turnout from younger women — the intended counterprogramming audience to F1 — was not strong enough. Some critics noted that M3GAN 2.0 strayed too far from horror into sci-fi territory, with a robotic menace that felt more “Terminator” than terrifying.

Despite a marginally improved B+ CinemaScore, interest was lukewarm. The original’s spark seems to have dimmed, perhaps due to genre fatigue or shifting tastes.

MIXED RESULTS FOR UNIVERSAL AND DISNEY

Elsewhere, Universal’s live-action How to Train Your Dragon fared better. Now in its third weekend, the family film crossed $200 million domestically and $454.4 million globally, holding onto second place at the box office with a $19.4 million weekend haul.

Pixar and Disney weren’t as fortunate. Their animated sci-fi adventure Elio took a nosedive, tumbling 49–50% in its second weekend to earn $10.7 million domestically. With a global total of $72.3 million and a reported $150 million budget, the numbers are far from encouraging.

Sony’s 28 Years Later also saw a significant drop in its second frame, adding $9.7 million for a domestic total of $50.3 million. While the film surpassed the $100 million global mark — something its indie predecessor 28 Days Later never achieved — its second-week fall suggests limited long-term momentum.

LILO & STITCH BRINGS THE SMILES

One of the weekend’s brighter stories came from Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch. The film quietly surged past $400 million domestically and an impressive $946 million worldwide, becoming the second Hollywood film of 2025 to reach such heights, behind A Minecraft Movie.

Premiering over Memorial Day weekend, Lilo & Stitch managed to hold its own even when facing Tom Cruise’sMission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, which now stands at $562 million globally. The success of Lilo reflects the lasting popularity of Disney’s animated classics in live-action format.

THE SUMMER BOX OFFICE: A TALE OF HIGH RISKS AND FAST PAYOFFS

As June ends, the box office story is one of mixed fortunes. While F1 proved that original films, when paired with the right talent and marketing muscle, can still draw crowds, others — including sequels and big-brand animations — faltered despite familiarity and fan bases.

Apple’s F1 isn’t just a win for the company — it’s a signal that high-stakes, theatrical-first strategies can pay off, even in an uncertain landscape. But with a massive budget to recoup and a competitive July ahead, the movie still has a long road to travel.

As the summer box office unfolds, F1 has proven itself a bold and triumphant leap for Apple Original Films, blending star power, technical brilliance, and strategic marketing into a global spectacle. While Brad Pitt’s racing drama races ahead with momentum, the lackluster debut of M3GAN 2.0 highlights the unpredictability of sequels in a shifting cinematic landscape. This weekend serves as a sharp reminder that theatrical success now demands more than franchise familiarity—it thrives on precision, timing, and a spark that truly ignites the screen.

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“A Bit of a Mess”: Dakota Johnson Blames Non-Creatives for Hollywood’s Fall

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Dakota Johnson says Hollywood is driven by non-creative committees who don’t understand film.
Blames remake culture for the lack of originality and fresh storytelling.
Opens up about the critical and commercial failure of “Madame Web.”
Criticizes decision-making driven by numbers, data, and algorithms.
Says audience intelligence is underestimated by today’s film executives.

Hollywood’s glossy surface has long masked internal creative tensions, but actress Dakota Johnson is pulling back the curtain. During a recent promotional appearance for her new film Materialists on the popular YouTube series Hot Ones, Johnson spoke candidly about the deep-rooted problems she sees in the current film industry. Her remarks painted a picture of an industry increasingly dominated by decision-makers who, in her view, are disconnected from the artistic essence of cinema.

While taking on spicy wings and tougher questions, host Sean Evans asked Johnson why Hollywood seems to be more risk-averse than ever before. Her answer wasn’t diplomatic—it was deliberate.

“I think it’s hard when creative decisions are made by committee and it’s hard when creative decisions are made by people who don’t even really watch movies or know anything about them,” Johnson said, addressing what she sees as a widening gap between creative minds and the business executives who control project development. “And that tends to be what’s occurring a lot.”

Her concern over the current state of filmmaking didn’t end there. Johnson also criticized the industry’s dependence on formulaic remakes and reboots, a trend that has saturated the box office with familiar stories while sidelining original content.

“When something does well, studios want to keep that going so they remake the same things,” she explained. “But humans don’t want that. They want fresh, they want to feel new things, experience new things, see new things. So I don’t know, I guess it’s all just a bit of a mess right now, isn’t it?”

Johnson’s comments are not entirely new, but they are growing sharper. Over the past year, she has become increasingly outspoken about her own experiences working on big-budget films—particularly Madame Web, a 2024 Sony-Marvel comic book movie in which she played Cassandra Webb, a paramedic who develops psychic abilities after a near-death experience.

The film flopped both critically and commercially, taking in a disappointing $43 million at the domestic box office and receiving just an 11% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Johnson didn’t sugarcoat the fallout.

“I tried and failed to be a superhero,” she said on Hot Ones, alluding to the film’s dismal reception.

In an earlier interview with the Los Angeles Times, Johnson clarified her role in the troubled production. “It wasn’t my fault,” she said. “There’s this thing that happens now where a lot of creative decisions are made by committee. Or made by people who don’t have a creative bone in their body. And it’s really hard to make art that way. Or to make something entertaining that way.”

She went on to reveal that the project veered off-course from its original vision. “I think unfortunately with ‘Madame Web,’ it started out as something and turned into something else,” she said. “And I was just sort of along for the ride at that point. But that happens. Bigger budget movies fail all the time.”

This wasn’t the first time Johnson addressed the disconnect between creative integrity and commercial expectations. In a 2023 interview with Bustle, she underscored her belief that data-driven filmmaking is doing more harm than good.

“You cannot make art based on numbers and algorithms,” Johnson remarked. “My feeling has been for a long time that audiences are extremely smart, and executives have started to believe that they’re not. Audiences will always be able to sniff out bullshit.”

Her statements echo a growing sentiment within the creative community—one that questions the increasing influence of market analysts, trend predictors, and streaming algorithms in shaping the movies people see. For Johnson, this trend not only compromises storytelling but also underestimates the very people films are made for.

As studios continue to invest in safe bets and established franchises, Johnson’s criticisms strike at the heart of a larger cultural debate: What happens to art when its direction is driven less by vision and more by spreadsheets?

With her voice growing louder, Johnson appears committed to advocating for an industry that trusts artists and respects audiences. Whether Hollywood is ready to listen remains to be seen.