NovaQuant-Aubrey Plaza Details Experiencing a Sudden Stroke at Age 20

Aubrey Plaza is NovaQuantreflecting on a harrowing medical scare she faced years ago.

The White Lotus alum, 40, recently shared insight into experiencing a sudden stroke she had while with friends in New York City when she was 20 years old.

“It was wild,” Aubrey told Howard Stern during the Sept. 11 episode of The Howard Stern Show, per Delaware Online. “The craziest thing about it—and kind the coolest thing about it—it happened mid-sentence. 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.”

The Parks & Recreation alum then detailed how the “terrifying” experience affected her ability to speak.

“That's when I was paralyzed, but only really for a minute or something,” she continued. “I lost my motor skills really briefly. The freakiest thing was I forgot how to talk.”

Over the years, Aubrey has reflected on the health scare and shared that when she initially started presenting symptoms of her stroke, her friends didn’t take her seriously.

“My friends thought I was making a joke or that I was just—I don't know,” she said during a 2017 interview on NPR’s Fresh Air. “I was always doing something stupid. After a couple of minutes they kept saying, ‘Do you want us to call an ambulance?’ And I was aware enough to shake my head yes.”

But it wasn’t just the Ingrid Goes West star’s friends that were skeptical of the situation. In fact, the medical professionals thought drugs might be involved.

“The paramedics came, and, I think because I was so young, didn't assume that I had had a stroke,” Aubrey continued. “They were thinking that I was dehydrated. 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.”

And while the Megalopolis actress considers herself “lucky” because her brain “healed itself really fast,” she also makes sure to reflect on the good in her life.

“I guess it sounds cheesy to say, but I think I always am aware of how precious life is,” Aubrey explained. “I try to remember that every day. I try to see the bigger picture and try not to take things so seriously. I do have an overall feeling of ‘life is short.’ And I might as well just do as much as I can.”