Unwilling to Have Body Dissected Again

Lena Dunham has decided not to star in her upcoming semi-autobiographical comedy series, Too Much, to avoid the harsh criticism she’s faced about her body in the past.

The Girls creator and star gave insight into her new project, set to release on Netflix in 2025. Despite the show being inspired by significant elements of her own life, Dunham chose not to play the lead character.

“I was not willing to have another experience like what I’d experienced around Girls at this point in my life,” Dunham told The New Yorker. “Physically, I was just not up for having my body dissected again.”

The 38-year-old also shared her feelings about being in the public eye. Unlike many assume, she doesn’t enjoy the attention, despite her personal experiences fueling much of her work. “I don’t like having ‘Happy Birthday’ sung to me. I don’t particularly like compliments,” she admitted.

Dunham’s latest project revolves around Jessica—a character loosely based on herself. Jessica is in her mid-30s and moves to the UK after a tough breakup. There, she falls for a musician described as “a walking series of red flags.”

“I used to think that winning meant you just keep doing it and you don’t care what anybody thinks,” Dunham said. “I forgot that winning is actually just protecting yourself and doing what you need to do to keep making work.”

Rather than casting herself in the lead role, Dunham tapped American actress and comedian Megan Stalter from HBO’s Hacks to play Jessica. Dunham shared a moment of admiration for Stalter, saying, “You are my muse. You inspire me every single day to go home and tap out pages upon pages.”

During her conversation with The New Yorker, Dunham also revealed she is no longer involved with the Polly Pocket movie. “I felt like, unless I can do it that way [like the Barbie movie], I’m not going to do it,” she stated.

Dunham elaborated further, “I don’t think I have that in me. I feel like the next movie I make needs to feel like a movie that I absolutely have to make. No one but me could make it. And I did think other people could make Polly Pocket.”

Source: The New Yorker