Plaza to Receive Breakthrough Performer of the Year Award at This Year’s CinemaCon

Aubrey Plaza is about to get her breakthrough

The Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation has announced that the 28-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress/comedian and Parks and Recreation star will receive the Breakthrough Performer of the Year award at this year’s CinemaCon.

Aubrey Plaza

Plaza, who graces the cover of Complex Magazine’s April/May cover, earned kudos for her starring role in the indie film Safety Not Guaranteed. She’ll next star in The To Do List.

The awards dinner will take place April 15-18 at CinemaCon in Las Vegas.

Others to be honored include: Breakthrough Filmmaker of the Year — Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Cinema Icon Award — Morgan Freeman, Male Star of Tomorrow — Armie Hammer, Female Star of Tomorrow — Hailee Steinfeld, Award of Excellence in Acting — Elizabeth Banks, Comedy Duo of the Year — Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, Lifetime Achievement Award — Harrison Ford, Male Star of the Year — Chris Pine and Female Star of the Year — Melissa McCarthy.

Plaza: Complex Magazine’s April/May Cover Girl

There’s no denying Aubrey Plaza is a complex woman… But she’s also a silly (string) girl, too.

The 28-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress/comedian graces the cover of Complex magazine’s April/May issue, complete with colorful silly string and a headline that proclaims her a “Funny Girl.”

Aubrey Plaza's Complex Cover

Here’s what the Parks and Recreation actress had to say in the magazine:

On wanting to be an actress: “I always knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to be both a comedian and an actor. I got really into Saturday Night Live. I became obsessed with the idea of being on that show. I started doing improv. I always had a goal. It was always me saying, ‘I know what I want to do and I want to do it now!’”

On what she’s learned from Parks and Recreation: “It’s taught me everything. The biggest thing is gaining experience from doing it every day, so getting to work on the show for so many years has been the best thing for me. And it’s nice that the character I play on that show is pretty close to home. It feels like a part of me, something I’ve created. When I do movies or other projects I can say I want to do something different.”

On her character in The To Do List: “Yeah, The To Do List is gonna be fun because I’m not sarcastic, depressed, or weird in it. I’m a type-A, almost obnoxious kind of girl. I wanted to do something where I’m not the weirdo who’s in the back of the classroom for a change. I want to be the girl who’s in the front of the classroom raising her hand.”

The April/May issue of Complex is out on newsstands now.