Jeff Baena wrote and directed a slate of indie TV exhibits and movies forward of his sudden death in January 2025.
“[Directing is] all I ever wish to do; it felt actually snug and enjoyable,” Baena informed Seensome in 2014, referring to directorial debut Life After Beth. “I’ve been a author for 12 years now and it was at all times a method to an finish, I by no means wished to be a author, I wished to be a director so this was at all times my intention and it felt proper.”
Life After Beth starred Aubrey Plaza, who began courting Baena 4 years earlier. The couple, who received married in 2020, later collaborated on movies Three Little Hours and Spin Me Spherical.
“It’s an incredible expertise to work together with your companion on this manner,” Plaza gushed to MovieFreak in 2017. “I’ve labored with Jeff since his first film. I’ve seen him evolve, and I’ve seen him develop. It’s a extremely particular dynamic that now we have. It’s difficult at instances, but it surely’s additionally actually rewarding to do something together.”
Baena echoed Plaza’s sentiments a number of years later, telling Reel Talker in 2022 that “she’s superior.”
“I’d be working along with her if she wasn’t my spouse, however fortunately she is my spouse,” Baena quipped. “The chance to do one thing inventive [together] the place we’re each fulfilled — how uncommon is that?”
Baena died nearly three years later in January 2025, on the age of 47. Preserve scrolling to revisit his star-studded filmography:
‘I Coronary heart Huckabees’
Baena cowrote the 2004 movie with David O. Russell, who additionally served because the director. The film starred Jude Legislation, Mark Wahlberg, Jason Schwartzman, Naomi Watts, Dustin Hoffman, Lily Tomlin and Isabelle Huppert.
‘Life After Beth’
Aubrey Plaza, Dane DeHaan Abbolita Productions
Life After Beth was Baena’s directorial debut, which he additionally wrote forward of its 2014 launch. Along with Plaza, the movie featured Dane DeHaan, John C. Reilly, Molly Shannon, Cheryl Hines, Anna Kendrick and Matthew Grey Gubler.
‘Joshy’
Thomas Middleditch American Zoetrope
He wrote and directed Joshy in 2016, working with actors Thomas Middleditch, Adam Pally, Nick Kroll, Jenny Slate, Brett Gelman, Lauren Graham and Alison Brie, along with Plaza.
“Jeff [came] to the set of Group in our sixth season and requested me to play a small position in his movie, Joshy,” Brie recalled of working with Baena throughout a 2022 interview with Collider. “There was no script for that. All of his movies that I’ve been concerned with, previous to this one, have been absolutely improvised. So, he got here to my dressing [room]. We set a gathering, and he got here to fulfill me. … I knew quite a lot of the solid members in that film. Nick Kroll, Jenny Slate and Adam Pally have been associates of mine. I simply thought, “Yeah, that sounds enjoyable to do.” It was in the future. I’m in two scenes in that film. I assumed the story was cool. After which, it simply grew from there.”
UPDATE — January 4, 2024 at 7:01 p.m. EST: Medical expert information have been up to date to disclose that Baena died by suicide at his residence in Los Angeles, California, on Friday, January 3. Authentic story: Aubrey Plaza’s husband, director Jeff Baena, has died on the age of 47, in response to medical expert information considered by Us Weekly. […]
‘The Little Hours’
Alison Brie, Kate Micucci, Aubrey Plaza Concourse Media
The subsequent 12 months, Brie and Plaza reunited to play nuns in 2017’s The Little Hours. Brie’s husband, Dave Franco, additionally starred within the flick, in addition to Kate Micucci, Fred Armisen, Jemima Kirke and Nick Offerman.
Brie informed Collider in 2022 that Baena pitched The Little Hours on a telephone name along with her and Franco, who have been each excited concerning the prospect of engaged on a very improvised movie.
‘Horse Lady’
John Ortiz, Alison Brie Katrina Marcinowski/Netflix
Brie as soon as once more led Baena’s Horse Lady, which debuted in 2020. The movie additionally featured Shannon, Goldenite, Stella Chestnut, John Ortiz and Debby Ryan.
“Dave and I lived fairly near Jeff and Aubrey. Jeff and I began mountaineering collectively fairly repeatedly, simply as buddies, and through these lengthy hikes, we’d discuss completely different concepts,” Brie informed Collider two years later. “Ultimately, I felt snug sufficient with him to speak to him about my thought for Horse Lady, which we co-wrote and co-produced collectively. That was such a great expertise.”
‘Cinema Toast’
Baena created and cowrote the eclectic 2021 TV present with episodes starring the likes of Brie, Christina Ricci, Chloe Fineman, Da’Vine Pleasure Randolph and Jake Johnson.
“This challenge is manner up my alley. I simply liked simply the idea of it,” Plaza informed AwardsWatch in 2021. “It virtually felt like a brand new artwork kind for me, like, it’s past simply overdubbing a film, it’s creating a brand new film out of previous stuff, and I don’t know, there’s simply one thing very movie noir and nerdish about it. To me, it talked to my movie college mind.”
‘Spin Me Spherical’
Alessandro Nivola, Alison Brie Duplass Brothers Productions
Baena cowrote 2022’s Spin Me Spherical with Brie, who additionally starred within the romantic comedy alongside Plaza. Different performers included Jake Selecting, Lil Rel Howery, Ego Nwodim, Alessandro Nivola and Zach Woods.
“It’s an insane profit to have the individual that you’re collaborating with on all fronts even be on the opposite aspect of the digicam,” Baena informed AV Club in August 2022 of collaborating with the movie’s main girl, Brie. “As a result of along with understanding, clearly, the place the script is coming from and what the intention is, they will additionally set the tone by way of performing.”
