Lena Dunham is working on a new TV series, but she opted out of starring in the lead role.
The 38-year-old multi-hyphenate co-created the new rom-com series Too Much, which is semi-autobiographical, and they have cast Hacks actress Meg Stalter as the lead.
In a new interview, Lena reveals the reason why she chose not to star in the semi-autobiographical role and cast Meg instead.
Keep reading to find out more…
“It’s about an American woman in London who has had a bad breakup in New York and is confused, meeting a recovering punk musician and trying to figure out if they can make a life together. It’s not a huge leap. But I knew from the very beginning I would not be the star of it,” Lena told The New Yorker. “First, because I had seen Meg Stalter’s work, and I was very inspired by her. She’s unbelievable; I think people are going to be so blown away. We know how funny she is. But, then, when she enters a dramatic scene, you’re, like, Oh, we got a little Meryl Streep on our hands! I was thinking a lot about, like, What is it that allows women to be complicated on TV and still be embraced and seen and understood? There’s an openness to Meg’s presence that I think goes a long way. She has whatever the opposite of resting bitch face is. She has resting angel face.”
However, her not starring in the show comes down to putting her mental health first and not wanting to be put through scrutiny around her body once again.
“I also think that I was not willing to have another experience like what I’d experienced around Girls at this point in my life. Physically, I was just not up for having my body dissected again. It was a hard choice, not to cast Meg—because I knew I wanted Meg—but to admit that to myself,” she said. “I used to think that winning meant you just keep doing it and you don’t care what anybody thinks. I forgot that winning is actually just protecting yourself and doing what you need to do to keep making work.”
“No matter what people may think, I got into this because I wanted to be an artist. I actually was never a person who—as much as people may not believe this, because of the way that my work is structured and what it’s about—was unbelievably interested in attention,” Lena added. “What makes me feel powerful is making my work. It’s the only thing I want to do. It is my only love in life aside from the people who are closest to me and my pets and books.”
Find out more about Lena‘s new show Too Much, including who will star as the male lead and where you’ll be able to watch it!
If you missed it, Lena also revealed in the New Yorker interview that she will no longer be a part of the Polly Pocket movie. Find out why here…
Lena will be seen on screen in the upcoming movie adaptation, I Wish You All the Best. Check her out a teaser here!
