Aubrey Plaza awkwardly flirts with Robert De Niro on set. [Image Source: YIMG]
Aubrey Plaza has opened up about a notably uncomfortable encounter she experienced with legendary actor Robert De Niro while filming the 2016 movie Dirty Grandpa. The American actress, widely recognized for her role in Parks and Recreation, recounted how her intense commitment to her role created an awkward dynamic with De Niro during production.
The focus keyword, Aubrey Plaza Robert De Niro, is central to this story, highlighting the unusual on-set chemistry during a sex scene where Plaza’s behavior reportedly unsettled the veteran in a unique way.
Context of Their Roles in Dirty Grandpa
In Dirty Grandpa, Robert De Niro plays a rambunctious grandfather who embarks on chaotic adventures, with Zac Efron starring as his grandson. Aubrey Plaza portrays De Niro’s significantly younger love interest, a role she embraced with full intensity. While the film’s comedic tone emphasized their age gap and risqué relationship, Plaza’s performance pushed boundaries that appeared to catch De Niro off guard.
Though their screen time together wasn’t extensive, the acting approach Plaza adopted led to particularly memorable moments while filming intimate scenes.
Details of the Awkward Scene and Reactions
Plaza described an especially uncomfortable instance where she attempted to engage physically with De Niro in a way he found quite unsettling. During a 2016 interview with Jimmy Kimmel, she recalled,
Image of: Aubrey Plaza
“I’d try to get in there and suck on his nipples, and he was like batting me away, and I didn’t know if it was in character or not.”
The actress soon realized that De Niro was genuinely uncomfortable with such attention, stating,
“Great, now he thinks that I wanted to do that.”
Because De Niro’s appearances on set were brief and usually coincided with scenes requiring Plaza to be in character, their interactions were limited and intense. Plaza explained,
“I heard from my agent, who had spoken to his agent that he was legitimately scared of me,”
and elaborated,
“Every time I was around him, it was right before we started shooting, so I would be all over him, and I think I really freaked him out.”
The Effect of Plaza’s Commitment on Their Dynamic
The lack of casual off-camera interaction contributed to the tension, as Plaza was almost always fully immersed in her character’s aggressive pursuit when De Niro arrived on set. She said,
“I didn’t have time to get to know him, he shows up in a puff of smoke and there’s no chatting at the water cooler.”
Her character’s clear objective was intimacy with De Niro’s character, which translated into an intense and somewhat unsettling energy. Plaza noted,
“By the time he’d show up, I’m in character. My character had one goal: To have sex with him. I was acting totally insane as the character because we were about to shoot. I don’t think he understood that wasn’t me.”
She added,
“You’d think he would because he’s an actor and an amazing one.”
Significance and Impact of the Experience
This candid account underscores the complexities of on-set performances, especially when actors maintain character intensity outside of takes. Plaza’s revelation offers insight into how heightened commitment to a role can sometimes create unpredictable reactions, even from seasoned professionals like Robert De Niro. While the experience was awkward, it reflects Plaza’s dedication to authentically portraying her character, though it may have left a lasting impression on De Niro about her unconventional style.
Future collaborations between the two could benefit from a clearer understanding of boundaries and preparation to ease such tensions, but for now, this story stands as an unusual anecdote about the unpredictable challenges actors face when portraying intimate scenes.
