Aya Cash (You’re The Worst)
From the moment we first see Aya Cash in You’re the Worst, it feel likes we’ve seen her before. However, from the first time her character, Gretchen, says a snarky or selfish comment, you understand that this is someone new – and an actor that is on the road to big things.
In The Wolf of Wall Street, she played Jordan Belfort’s assistant, in a role where she didn’t have to purge to a level of sexual objectification like many of the other young female actors from that film. The crass attitude of her role in Scorsese’s movie made her a natural to fit the role of Gretchen Cutler on the critically acclaimed FX comedy.
It does not take much for a woman to be filthy on cable television; however, what makes Cash’s portrayal of a jerky, difficult, polarizing woman so compelling is how real it all feels. Sure, there are moments where she feels entitled. But, Cash offers the role humanity by showing the bitterness and ennui of this character, with just a stern or sad look.
Like a mix of Ellie Kemper’s radiance, Jenny Slate’s potty mouth and Aubrey Plaza’s demure deadpan, it should be hard for the actor to fit easily into a character archetype for the rest of her career. Hopefully enough people tune into You’re the Worst’s second season to find out why this multi-talented star is one of the best working in TV cringe comedy today.
