Was Aubrey Plaza in Jeff Baena’s film? All we know as Indie filmmaker and screenwriter dies at 47

Jeff Baena, a notable writer and director in the film industry, passed away at the age of 47 on January 3, 2025. His death has been reported as suicide, which has left a deep impact on his family’s life.

“The family is devastated and asks for privacy at this difficult time,” a statement from Deadline stated.

The 47-year-old had been married to Aubrey Plaza as of 2021. The couple was linked since 2011, as per reports. Baena and Plaza’s relationship was not only rooted in love but also in a shared passion for filmmaking.

Aubrey Plaza has featured in some of Jeff Baena’s directorial works, including Life After Beth (2014) which was his debut film; Joshy (2016), The Little Hours (2017), and Spin Me Around (2022). The two also collaborated on the anthology series Cinema Toast, released in 2021. It marks Aubrey Plaza’s directorial debut. Here are further details on their collaboration in the film industry.

Details explored as Aubrey Plaza and Jeff Baena collaborated on films

Reports indicated that the 2014 film Life After Beth marked Jeff Baena’s directorial debut. The film is a dark comedy that depicts the story of a young man whose deceased girlfriend is back from the dead but as a zombie. The star cast included Aubrey Plaza, Dane DeHaan, and John C. Reilly, among other actors.

Speaking with Vulture in 2014, Plaza shared she was “nervous” about working with her then-boyfriend. "I was like, we’re either going to break up or stay together forever," she joked. She also added,

"It was great, he’s a great director and that didn’t surprise me either because his brain is operating on another level — he’s too smart and he’s got so many opinions and he’s a very confident person that always knows what he wants."

Life After Beth was released on August 15, 2014.

In the 2016 film Joshy, Aubrey Plaza played the role of Jen. The plot revolves around a man who reunites with his friends when his fiancée dies by suicide. The dramedy was written and directed by Baena.

In 2017, The Little Hours marked Jeff Baena’s other collaboration with his future wife. It starred Aubrey Plaza as a foul-mouthed 14th-century nun living in a convent. The film also featured Alison Brie, Dave Franco, and Kate Micucci. The film was released on June 30, 2017. It was Aubrey's first movie as a producer. A report in IndieWire stated it as a loose adaptation of The Decameron, a short story collection by Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio, composed between 1349 and 1353.

In 2021, the duo collaborated on the anthology series, Cinema Toast. Sharing her experience while filmmaking with Jeff Baena, Plaza said, "It was very hectic while we were making the show because we were quarantined, and Jeff, he created the show.” She told People Magazine in 2021,

“We were not baking sourdough bread, but we were sifting through hours of old movies and footage and re-cutting them together and just letting our minds go on a trip. So it was great."

The series was produced during the Covid-19 pandemic and released on April 20, 2021.

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Aubrey Plaza is yet again featured in Jeff Baena’s 2022 dark comedy, Spin Me Around. She played a supporting role in the film, which featured Alison Brie in the lead.

According to a report in Elle magazine, Aubrey Plaza and Jeff Baena were last photographed together on July 5, 2024, during an outing in Los Angeles.

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