Aubrey Plaza recently revealed that even the happiest of seasons aren’t immune to the realities of coronavirus. On The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Plaza told the show’s host that her Happiest Season co-star Kristen Stewart, as well as a handful of others on set, got sick with what they believe was COVID-19 while filming in early 2020.
The Hulu original film was shot in February, right before the country went into lockdown and everything was put on hold. “In fact, COVID was on our set,” said Plaza. “Kristen [Stewart] got sick but we didn't know... a lot of people got sick."
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According to the actress, nobody at the time understood the severity of the virus. “It was the last week of February so people were starting, it was like that zone where people were starting to talk about coronavirus, but people were laughing about it," she continued. "No one understood how serious it was. But a bunch of people on our set got sick. I didn't, thank god."
Happiest Season centers on Abby (Stewart), a woman who takes her long-term girlfriend Harper (Mackenzie Davis) up on her invitation to spend Christmas with her family despite not being a huge fan of the holidays. But at the last second, Harper reveals that she isn't out to her parents and asks Abby to pretend to be her straight roommate for five days.
After the film was released, many viewers felt frustrated that Abby would end up with Harper after being emotionally manipulated by her. Even more perplexing was the fact that Abby had a whole Riley (Plaza) in front of her — a sexy, thoughtful, and self-assured doctor (and Harper's ex) who could empathize with Abby's disappointment at Harper's behavior. People deemed Harper the "worst" and called their relationship toxic. But more toxic than COVID-19? Not quite.