Aubrey Plaza and Theo Rossi star as Emily and Youcef in Emily The Criminal. The new thriller is now in theaters. Plaza also serves as a producer.

Emily (Aubrey Plaza) is saddled with student debt and locked out of the job market due to a minor criminal record. Desperate for income, she takes a shady gig as a “dummy shopper,” buying goods with stolen credit cards supplied by a handsome and charismatic middleman named Youcef (Theo Rossi). Faced with a series of dead-end job interviews, Emily soon finds herself seduced by the quick cash and illicit thrills of black-market capitalism, and increasingly interested in her mentor Youcef. Together, they hatch a plan to bring their business to the next level in Los Angeles.

Plaza will next be seen in Operation Fortune: Rue de Guerre. On TV, the actress will also star in and produce the upcoming Hulu drama series, Olga Dies Dreaming. Most recently, she was in Best Sellers, which premiered at the 2021 Berlin Film Festival. Other credits include Black Bear, Ingrid goes West, and Happiest Season. Plaza won the 2021 Imagen Award for “Best Actress” for Black Bear as well as the 2018 Independent Spirit Award for “Best First Feature” for producing Ingrid goes West. She is well known for her roles in Legion and Parks & Recreation.

Rossi can most recently be seen in True Story and Army of the Dead. The actor next stars in the independent feature Dear Zoe. Additional credits include American Skin, which won the Sconfini award at the 2019 Venice Film Festival, Lowriders, Vault, and Rattlesnake. On the television side, he is recognized for his roles on Luke Cage and Sons of Anarchy.

I had a great discussion with the duo about what interested them most about the story, unique project challenges, and which sequence they were most excited to see on-screen!

Watch our full chat here: