VARIETY: Lena Dunham Discusses TOO MUCH, Whether She’d Revive GIRLS, and More

Pin

In a new interview for VARIETY, GIRLS creator Lena Dunham speaks with Deputy Editor of International Ellise Shafer about her new Netflix show, TOO MUCH, and how her relationship with her now-husband Luis Felber sparked the creative awakening she needed. She also discusses whether she’d revive the HBO classic, Hollywood’s “merciless” body shaming, pitching “Good Sex” to Meg Ryan at the Eras Tour, wanting a family, and more. 

Pin

Pin

On why she wouldn’t revive “Girls,” and where the characters in “Girls” would be today:

“If we had something to say that was really specific and it was a moment in their lives where we felt like revisiting it — like millennial women becoming mothers or stepping into menopause or going to live at old-age homes — I would always want to work with those people again.”

She’s even thought about what everyone might be up to, rattling off theories between fits of laughter.

“Shoshanna was married to, then divorced from, the mayor of New York City, and she runs an athleisure startup that’s zero-waste. Marnie — it’s third marriage. She still sings, but I think Marnie really needs to take it to sex and love addicts anonymous. Jessa is unvaccinated and lives on a boat in Croatia. Adam is a cult theater actor, and he’s probably living in Berlin, and Ray is still on city council and running his coffee shop and doing better than anyone. Elijah is the fourth lead on a sitcom, making a good amount of money and still looking for love in all the wrong places.” Wait, what about Hannah? Dunham lets out a yelp as she realizes her own character slipped her mind. “Oh my God, I forgot about her!” she says. “She teaches at Bard and loves raising her son. She probably has a girlfriend who’s, like, a chef. And she’s less obsessed with being famous. That is where I feel that she would land.”

On how her newfound love with British musician Luis Felber and move to London sparked a creative reawakening:

“In my 20s, I had never had anything even resembling writer’s block. I didn’t even know what it was. But post-‘Girls,’ I felt run-down and unsure of what I wanted to make. And then one day, I just woke up to a real creative fervor.”

On the inspirations behind “Too Much”:

Dunham wanted to write something that was an homage to the romantic comedies she grew up loving, like “Notting Hill” and “Bridget Jones’s Diary,” but one that didn’t gloss over how hard it is to actually make a relationship work.

“You have to try — you don’t just fall into each other’s arms. Once you’ve gotten together, the biggest challenge to get past is yourself. And I had certainly found that in my case.”

On why the show is called “Too Much”:

Faced with the reserved nature of most British people, Dunham stuck out like a sore thumb. The show’s title comes out of this contrast. When Dunham and Felber first started dating, he would tell her that she was “too much.” Offended, Dunham thought that he was calling her annoying or overbearing, when in fact the phrase was lost in translation: In the U.K., it’s a term of endearment, which Felber eventually told her means “just enough and a little bit more.”

“I tend to ask lots of questions, and if someone is open to hugging, I will usually hug them — and sometimes I have trouble modulating the volume of my voice. All of those things, people seem to almost find suspicious.”

On the connections between “Too Much” and her own life:

“Too Much” tells the story of Jess (“Hacks” standout Megan Stalter), who takes a job in London after the breakdown of a relationship she thought would last forever, and Felix (“The White Lotus” star Will Sharpe), a struggling musician whose past trauma has left him with an alcohol dependency and fear of commitment. Similarly, Dunham moved to London after a high-profile breakup with music producer Jack Antonoff in late 2017, and dissolving her production company with “Girls” co-showrunner Jenni Konner, Dunham needed a change. Though Dunham and Felber each put a bit of themselves into Jess and Felix, Dunham insists that viewers not see “Too Much” as a by-the-book retelling of their romance.

“It’s certainly not quote-unquote based on a true story, but like everything I do, there is an element of my own life that I can’t help but inject.”

Jess’ ex (played by Michael Zegen) is a pretentious music writer who incessantly puts Jess down for her taste. Dunham is aware that people will draw comparisons between Zev and her previous relationships, but she’s adamant that he’s an “amalgamation” of “every ex-boyfriend.”

“You want to be reasonable about people’s curiosity while also saying, there’s nothing to see here. I always joke, there’s like 10 men who thought they were Adam [in ‘Girls’]. And the guy who actually Adam was based on, I have a feeling has absolutely no idea. A real Adam wouldn’t know.”

On applying the lessons she learned on “Girls” to “Too Much,” specifically with diversity and intimacy coordinators:

“Everyone needs to have their consciousness raised when they’re young. I happened to really learn a lot in my 20s on a pretty public scale. [‘Too Much’] is meant to be a representation of the London that I know, and so it was just a very natural thing to fill it with a range of people. Frankly, it’s just what’s interesting.”

Dunham is also grateful for the advent of intimacy coordinators.

“I know it’s something that I would have been relieved to have on ‘Girls.’ There are some directors who think they don’t want someone to interfere between them and the cast — I welcome it, because it’s like having this referee and this safe space.”

On why Dunham is protective over Staler when it comes to Hollywood’s body shaming:

“I probably wasn’t protective enough of myself…I have been in Hollywood at every size. I have been a sample size, I have had my body change because of life, illness, aging, menopause. And it is merciless wherever you are. If anybody has anything to say about any of my actors — I keep my mouth shut on most things these days, but try a bitch. I’m not playing around here. It’s the only time that I’m going to be taking my hoops out, ready to fight.”

On pitching “Good Sex” to Meg Ryan at the Eras Tour:

This summer, Dunham is directing “Good Sex,” a Natalie Portman rom-com. The cast also includes Meg Ryan, and Dunham pitched the film to her when they both attended her good friend Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” in London last year.

“I decided, it’s now or never, and I’m going to shoot my shot. She couldn’t be a lovelier person. Shout-out Taylor — thank you for that. She brings everyone together; she makes the world go round.”

On wanting a family:

Despite having undergone a hysterectomy eight years ago because of severe endometriosis, Dunham says that she and Felber are taking steps to build their family.

“I want to be a mother. I’m working on that, and I don’t want my kids to live in the secondary glare of whatever this is. I want my kids to be proud of me and go, ‘My mom works really fucking hard, and she loves what she does.’ But I don’t want them to live in the spotlight, or even next to the spotlight.”

[Photo Credit: OK McCausland for Variety Magazine – Video Credit: Variety/YouTube]

• Editorials
• Lena Dunham
• Magazines
• OK McCausland
• Variety