Aubrey Plaza: I'm straight-laced at work

Aubrey Plaza likes to keep a straight face when she's working.

The 30-year-old actress is best known for playing April Ludgate in Parks and Recreation. She is a big fan of comedy, and has starred in films including Funny People, but admits she tries not to get the giggles when she is working.

"I got drunk at a Saturday Night Live after-party and attacked Fred Armisen when he came out of the bathroom. I just couldn't help myself," she recalled to the British edition of Marie Claire. "I was like 'You're my favourite!' I don't laugh that much when I'm working - I keep a really straight face - but when I worked with him on a show called Portlandia, he just killed me every time."

Aubrey first got to try out her comedy skills when she was cast in Cinderella The Musical at a community theatre when she was younger. She quickly realised it was fun to make other people laugh.

"I was so focused on getting the beautiful princess lead, I was thrown when I got the part of the ugly sister - until I realised she had the funniest song in the whole show," she remembered. "Since then I've been drawn to characters and women like Allison Janney and Parker Posey. There's all kinds of things you can do when you're an actress."

Her latest role sees her playing a zombie in Life After Beth, which is directed by her real-life boyfriend Jeff Baena.

"Jeff recognises the demonic energy that I have brewing underneath, which is appropriate for this kind of performance," she laughed. "When a character is half-human and half-monster, it takes a special kind of person [to play them]. I'm not sure I should take that as a compliment, but I'm going to, just so I can sleep at night."