Aubrey Plaza shared her reaction after learning one of her roles was originally written for a middle-aged man

She’s been taking a break from the April Ludgate persona. Instead, Aubrey Plaza’s changed up her acting roles this year to be a bit more diverse. While we love her when she’s sarcastic and dry, we have to admit that seeing her in films like Ingrid Goes West and The Little Hours only reminded us that she’s got a lot of star power. However, it was her role in the television show Legion that really impressed us — especially after hearing it was actually written for a middle-aged man.

Created by Marvel, Legion is centered around a man named David Haller who’s diagnosed with schizophrenia and finds himself in and out of psychiatric hospitals. Plaza plays the role of Lenny Busker, one of his closest friends. She defined the role, as well as Lenny’s involvement throughout season one, as “kind of a head trip” in an interview with Entertainment Tonight.

While she admitted she was a little puzzled after being asked to read for the role, it’s a good thing she gave it a shot. “I was very confused,” she says. “I was like ‘Oh, the middle-aged drug addict in the mental hospital? I don’t understand.’” As the show went on, it all became a bit more clear.

Plaza also talked about how she envisioned the character.

"I didn't want to be trapped in a man's body or a woman's body, I wanted to be fluid," she said. "I wanted to create something that's more than human."

And thus, the dialogue never had to change. The role of Lenny actually required Plaza to play multiple characters, which she said was a welcomed challenge.

"That's why the show is so fun; it makes it easy for me to get lost in my own imagination and to try to really come up with these specific characters, but then have a through line that connects them all," she said. "It was challenging, but it was really fun."

Aubrey Plaza will be back for Legion‘s second season, which is currently expected to air on FX in 2018.