Parks & Rec Allowed A Lot Of Improv On Set, Reveals Aubrey Plaza

Parks and Recreation star Aubrey Plaza says the series allowed plenty of opportunities for improvisation from actors. The NBC series, helmed by The Office creators Michael Schur and Greg Daniels, utilized a cringe humor style similar to its predecessor’s in early seasons, but evolved its own unique blend of whimsy and satire as the series went on. Starring Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, Chris Pratt, Rashida Jones, Retta, Aziz Ansari, and Plaza, Parks and Recreation featured an ensemble of strong comedic talent, with Poehler even penning some of the show’s episodes.

Due to the series’ often seamless comedic moments and strong use of character humor, many have speculated about which of the show’s scenes were the result of the actors improvising while filming. Similar questions have been raised about The Office, with many of its stars shooting down the idea that the show was mostly improv and crediting the talented writers. While Poehler has also been vocal about crediting the writers of Parks and Recreation for their brilliant scripts, Plaza now reveals in a video for GQ that there was more room for improvisation on Parks and Recreation due to the nature of the series’ on-set environment. See what she has to say below:

We would do what’s called a Fun Run where we would do the script, and then we would do a Fun Run where we could say whatever we wanted, and a lot of times the Fun Runs made it on the show, especially in the early seasons.

Related: Parks & Rec Deleted Scene Explains Why April Joined The Parks Department

April Ludgate Remains An Iconic Sitcom Character

Parks and Recreation continued the popularity of mockumentary-style workplace sitcoms, furthering the redefining of the sitcom genre popularized by The Office. Parks and Recreation ended in 2015, and has been kept alive since on the internet thanks to the many popular memes spawned by the series, the witty one-liners said on the show, and the satirical brand of slightly surrealist humor. In addition, the all-star cast of Parks and Recreation went a long way in furthering the show’s success and have continued to boast impressive careers since the finale.

Plaza’s character is one of the most enduring from the beloved sitcom, with April serving as a breakout role for her that many still associate the actor with today. Though Plaza has previously stated that she’s more like Leslie Knope (Poehler), her brand of dry humor and interest in the macabre, both of which are qualities that April shares, have made it difficult for fans of the series to see her as anyone else. Possibly due to the similarities between actor and character, April often feels like a very genuine and relatable figure amid her over-the-top and often bubbly co-workers.

April’s function as a straight man worked no matter which character she was paired up with, and her deadpan and sometimes sinister humor was equally effective within pairings that saw someone else as the straight man, namely Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott) or Ann Perkins (Jones). Those two sides to the character made her relationship with Andy (Pratt), her polar opposite in many ways, one of Parks and Recreation‘s most beloved couples. Though April could have become a gothic caricature over the course of the series, Plaza always managed to inject heart and humanity into the role, so that April’s growth and increased ability to connect with others became one of the most touching storylines in Parks and Recreation. It’s no wonder the character continues to boast a strong following years later.

More: Parks & Rec: Ben & April Are Proof Of The Show’s Greatest Strength

Source: GQ