Michael Cera has explained the bizarre reason he came close to marrying his former girlfriend Aubrey Plaza.
If your initial reaction to reading this was ‘When did Aubrey Plaza and Michael Cera date?’ you’re not the only one, but it turns out the pair were very much a couple at one point.
Cast your minds back to the release of rom-com Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Cera starred as the titular slacker musician, whose attempting to earn himself a record deal, while simultaneously fighting off the many evil exes of his current girlfriend, Ramona Flowers.
Now, Mary Elizabeth Winstead may have starred as his love interest on-screen, but it was Plaza who captured his attention in real life – with the pair going on to have a brief relationship in the following 18 months.
Wrapped your head around that part? Good, because we’re now about the revisit the tale of when the pair came close to tying the knot.
During an interview for Rolling Stone last year, the Barbie actor recalled the unusual anecdote and revealed the equally bizarre reason why they were considering getting married.
“We were driving through Vegas, and we almost just spontaneously took a detour and got married,” Cera explained.
So, what was the plan for once they finally made it to the alter? Drive-thru nuptials? Wedding on the High Roller Ferris Wheel?
Elvis impersonator?
If you guessed any of the above, you probably weren’t too far off.
“I think the idea was to then get a divorce right away, so we could call each other ‘my ex-husband’ and ‘my ex-wife’,” he added.
“[We were] like … 20.”
Ah, young love.
Despite the Vegas wedding ultimately not going ahead and the couple later going their separate ways, Cera has remained nothing but complimentary about Plaza and her talents as an actress.
Despite going their separate ways, Cera and Plaza have remained on good terms (Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival)
“I mean, she’s always been so committed to everything that she does,” the actor said, responding to a question about her success in season two of The White Lotus.
“It’s not surprising to me that she’s doing really well. The thing that’s surprising to me is how much she’s producing and putting together projects. It’s amazing. Ingrid Goes West? That was so great.”
Cera has since gone on to find love with his German wife, Nadine. The actor has remained tight lipped about the specifics of their relationship, however, it has been revealed the couple are the parents of two sons.
Meanwhile Plaza began dating Jeff Baena in 2011, the couple later tied the knot in 2021.
Aubrey Plaza has opened up about what happened to her when she suffered a stroke in her 20s.
The Emily the Criminal star, 40, appeared on SiriusXM’s Howard Stern Show on Wednesday (11 September) to promote three of her upcoming projects.
It seems September is going to be a busy month for the actor, as she features in Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis (27 September), comedy movie My Old Ass (13 September), and Disney Plus series Agatha All Along (18 September).
As well as speaking about her work, Plaza lifted the lid on the time she experienced a stroke at the age of 20, while studying at New York University. Watch below:
Her stroke was caused by a blood clot in her brain, temporary leaving her with partial paralysis.
On what happened, she explained: “It was really a freak thing, honestly, you know my doctors blamed it on the birth control pill at the time because I’d kind of been on like a new one or something for a couple months.
“It was really the only thing I was putting into my body and so I never took that again, ever.
“I’ve never been on hormones or anything like that again because clearly, I mean, I think it was probably that.”
Plaza added: “It was wild. The craziest thing about it ― and kind the coolest thing about it ― it happened mid-sentence.
Aubrey Plaza got a blood clot in her brain when she was 20 (YouTube/The Howard Stern Show)
“I took the train to Astoria to have lunch with my friends and I walked into their apartment ― I hadn’t even taken my jacket off ― and it just happened.
“That’s when I was paralyzed, but only really for a minute or something. I lost my motor skills really briefly. The freakiest thing was I forgot how to talk.”
Despite it being a life-changing event, the actor managed to work through speech and physical therapy to recover and have a successful film career.
“I always am aware of how precious life is, and I try to remember that every day,” she said.
“I tend to see the bigger picture or try to see the bigger picture and try not to take things so seriously and try not to get hung up on the small things…
Plaza said it ‘was really a freak thing’ (Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images)
“I do have an overall feeling of life is short. And I might as well just do as much as I can. Maybe it’s why I’m so busy.”
Stroke symptoms
According to the NHS, main symptoms of stroke can be remembered with the abbreviation ‘FAST’
- Face – this happens when the face drops on one side, or perhaps the person may not be able to smile, or move their mouth. Sometimes their eyes may have dropped.
- Arms – a person who has suffered a stroke may struggle to lift both arms and because of weakness or numbness in one arm.
- Speech – their speech may be slurred or garbled, or the person may not be able to talk at all despite appearing to be awake.
- Time – it’s time to dial 999 immediately if you see any of these signs or symptoms.
Michael and Aubrey starred together in Scott Pilgrim Vs The World – an cult-classic rom-com action based on the graphic novel of the same name – as Scott Pilgrim and Julie Powers.
Although Julie’s crush on Scott was unrequited in the film, Aubrey and Michael had a very real, but very secret, romance on-set.
It wasn’t until 2016 – six years after the film was first released – that Aubrey revealed they had dated.
Earrlier this year, the Emily The Criminal actress had been speaking to RuPaul and Michelle Visage on their podcast Whats The Tee, when Michael came up in conversation.
When Drag Race host RuPaul confessed that he though Michael Cera was ‘sexy’, Aubrey replied: “I dated him for a long time!”
When asked how long ‘a long time’ was, she said: “A year and a half.”
Dropping yet another bombshell on the podcast hosts, Aubrey then shared: “We drove across the country after we shot that movie and almost got married in Vegas.”
Speaking about how they met on set in Toronto, RuPaul asked her: “Do you think it was that thing that happens to people who are enclosed in a small situation?”
Aubrey joked: “Oh, like animals in captivity? Everyone wants to f**k each other?
“No, he’s a very special – I mean, we love each other. We’re still really good friends and he’s just a weird little freak and we speak the same language. He’s one of the funniest people I know.”
Michael has never publicly commented on his relationship with Aubrey – or any of his relationships, for that matter.
But, earlier this year, comedian Amy Schumer accidentally revealed that her Life & Beth co-star was a dad.
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Speaking about her experience with motherhood, she told Entertainment Tonight: “Michael has a baby, too.”
She continued: “Is that public knowledge?…I just outed him, I just outed his baby.”
Meanwhile, Aubrey is now married to her longtime boyfriend Jeff Baena.
The couple, who had been dating since 2011, never officially announced their wedding, but Aubrey made the news pretty clear when she posted to Instagram last year to celebrate the news that a film of theirs was going into production, writing: “So proud of my darling husband @jeffbaena for dreaming up another film that takes us to italia to cause some more trouble.”
I’m glad these two are happy and everything, but I’ll never let go of what could have been.
It’s hard to believe, but Eminem’s daughter Hailie Jade is all grown up now – and he’s just walked her down the aisle.
The rapper, who has often used the child he shares with ex-wife Kim Scott as a muse for his music, looked proud as punch as he celebrated with the happy couple at an intimate bash in Michigan, US.
Hailie Jade got hitched to her partner Evan McClintock over the weekend nearly a decade after they met at Michigan State University.
The 28-year-old shared a selection of photographs from her big day in an Instagram post uploaded on Monday (20 May), explaining how she was adjusting to ‘waking up [as] a wife this week’.
She wrote: “We couldn’t have asked for a better, more beautiful weekend celebration. So so many happy tears were shed, laughs & smiles were had, & so much love was felt.
“Evan and I are feeling so grateful for all of the family & friends that travelled to support us and be a part of this new chapter of our lives as husband & wife.”
The guest list obviously wouldn’t have been complete without the father of the bride, Eminem, on it.
Hailie Jade and Evan McClintock got hitched this weekend (Instagram/@hailiejade)
Shortly after the star announced his new album, The Death of Slim Shady, by publicising a mock obituary, he was celebrating new beginnings with his beloved daughter.
The dad, 51, donned a tuxedo, dark glasses and Nike Air Jordans for the nuptials and was seen sharing a series of heartwarming moments with Hailie Jade as she got wed.
Photos obtained by TMZ show Eminem posing alongside the happy couple, while another captured a touching tradition.
The 8 Mile actor was seen swaying with his daughter as they had a father-daughter dance in front of a crowd of guests.
Hailie Jade was seen giggling as she held on to her dad, while looking incredible in a strapless gown with mermaid detailing.
Evan seems just as enthralled by their wedding weekend too, as he was pictured smiling alongside his new father-in-law while also commenting on his spouse’s social media post: “That’s my wife. Best weekend of my life.”
Die-hard Eminem fans who grew up listening to the rapper discuss his beloved daughter were over the moon for her and have been sharing their congratulations to the couple online.
One said: “Most beautiful wedding ever! It was like a movie. Congrats.”
A second wrote: “Even though I don’t know you, I feel like I knew you my whole life. . Congratulations to you both!”
Quoting her dad’s lyrics, another added: “Hailie’s getting so big now you should see her she’s beautiful…”
While a fourth chimed in: “This is beautiful! Congrats you two.”
According to reports, Hailie Jade and Evan got hitched at a venue called Greencrest Manor, where an ‘average investment’ for a wedding will set you back between £66,000 ($85,000) and £82,000 ($105,000) for a single-day rental.But for a ‘full weekend guest experience’, you’re looking at somewhere between £82,000 and £106,000 ($135,000).
I’m sure Eminem spared no expense for his little girl.
Aubrey Plaza once suffered a terrifying stroke when she was just 20-years-old.
It came as a total shock for the actor, who was still studying in college when it happened, and had no known medical issues whatsoever.
Now nearly two decades later, the White Lotus star has since opened up about the experience and how she’s been faring ever since.
The star, who was a film student at New York University at the time, said that the day her stroke happened was no different than any other.
Speaking to NPR Fresh Air back in 2017, Plaza recalled: “I was going to my friend’s apartment for lunch.
“It’s really kind of a very typical stroke story where it just happened mid-sentence out of nowhere. I don’t think I had even taken my jacket off.”
The 38-year-old actor continued: “I walked into the apartment. I was telling my two friends about a Hilary Duff concert that I had taken my younger sister to the night before.”
Her two friends, however, were totally baffled when Plaza first began showing warning signs of the serious medical condition.
“They thought I was making a joke,” she revealed, “I was always doing something stupid, but then after a couple of minutes, you know, they kept saying, ‘Do you want us to call an ambulance?’.”
Luckily, the Park and Recreation star was ‘aware enough’ to nod.
“I kept just shaking my head yes because I knew something was really, really wrong,” she said.
Plaza remembered how ‘scary’ it was when she ‘kind of blacked out for a second’, before adding: “And then I remember there was just like a really loud kind of sound happening.
“I couldn’t talk because the blood clot was in the language center of my brain. So I had expressive aphasia instantly, which means that if you’re talking to me, I could understand what you’re saying in my mind and understand how to respond.
“But I couldn’t actually get it out. I couldn’t actually talk,” she recalled.
Her stroke lasted a matter of minutes and, when paramedics arrived at the scene, they, at first, ‘didn’t assume’ that she had just endured the huge medical emergency because she was ‘so young’.
“They were thinking that I was dehydrated. And I really think they thought I was on drugs because they kept asking me if I’d taken drugs, and I hadn’t. I hadn’t really put anything into my body that day except for birth control, which ended up being maybe the cause of the stroke,” she continued.
After being rushed to the hospital, Plaza was examined by a doctor who then asked her to place her right hand on her left knee.
“I couldn’t do it. I was confused about right and left. And I think that’s when everyone realized, oh, like, she had a stroke,” she recalled
Looking back, Plaza believes her young age was the reason why she was able to recover so quickly.
“I think I was lucky. I was so young that my brain… healed itself really fast. So I was talking after a couple of days,” she said.
The actor added that, although it ‘sounds cheesy to say’, the experience made her aware of how ‘precious life is’.
“I try to remember that every day.” she concluded.
