Emily the Criminal and The White Lotus Unlock Aubrey Plaza’s True Range

In Emily the Criminal, Plaza is also projecting strength to mask vulnerability, but instead of clamming up and putting on a brave face, desperation causes her character to unleash all the rage and ferocity that has been built up inside of her.

Emily the Criminal is about a woman named Emily who is saddled with massive student debt after a felony conviction forces her to drop out of college early. That conviction also prevents Emily from landing a job with a decent wage, leading her to Youcef (Theo Rossi), a man operating a credit card fraud ring. As Emily’s involvement with Youcef increases, she is put in increasingly dangerous situations. However, instead of wilting and waiting for a break in a conventional job, Emily doubles down, fighting both literally and figuratively to hold on to the money that she’s made.

Whereas Harper keeps things internal, Emily wears her desperation on her sleeve and she sometimes cannot contain her anger. In one illuminating scene, Emily attends a job interview, and the interviewer asks her about past convictions. Emily lies about her criminal history before the interviewer reveals that he has her complete criminal record with him already, and that he’s reviewed it. Emily immediately berates the man for lying and abruptly leaves the interview, not wanting to hear another word after being reminded of her past mistakes. 

Talking to Vanity Fair, Plaza highlights that while Harper is close to her reality, Emily’s lack of filter in some ways is aspirational to both her and audiences.

“It’s kind of cathartic for the audience in some way, I think, cause Emily kind of says all the stuff that you don’t say in those situations, but you want to say,” she told Vanity Fair.

The film contains other, more violent instances of Emily’s desperation causing outbursts, showing whereas Harper is easily flustered and used to bottling everything up, Emily no longer has the patience or luxury to shrink away from confrontation. It’s a physically demanding, emotionally visceral role that will make viewers forget all about quirky comedic performances of the past.