After nearly eight years, Lena Dunham will return to TV this July with “Too Much,” a Netflix rom-com she created with husband Luis Felber. The “Girls” helmer said her long break from television was done by design.
“I definitely took an intentional break,” she told The Times in an interview published Saturday.
Dunham made a name for herself in the early 2010s, when she created and starred in “Girls” for HBO. By 2013, she had made the Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world. “Girls” became a cultural juggernaut for HBO, earning them 19 Primetime Emmy nominations and two wins.
Dunham, however, frequently found herself at the center of criticism and controversy. The writer/actor was repeatedly attacked online for her writing, commentary and appearance.
“I didn’t really understand how to distinguish between what was and wasn’t necessary for the public,” Dunham said. “I felt confused about how I was supposed to respond.”
The frequent backlash, for reasons both in and out of her control, began to weigh on Dunham who said the constant public apologies for her comments was an attempt to show who she was on the inside.
“I thought if I explain properly who I am, or give a glimpse of who I am, people are going to have a different perception of me, that we would be friends. But no one cares — and that’s fine. I always joke that I need a T-shirt that says ‘I survived New York media in 2012 and all I got was this lousy T-shirt.’” Dunham added. “All I got was this lousy PTSD.”
She continued: “I felt like all the maturing and changing that had been kept at bay by the experience of being in that cocoon of the show was suddenly happening at a speed that was overwhelming. It was a painful metamorphosis,” she says. “I definitely took an intentional break [from public life].”
Since 2017, a year which marked the end of “Girls’” six-season run, Dunham has not returned to acting on television. This is set to change with “Too Much” this July. In Dunham’s series, the showrunner will also portray the older sister of her lead character, played by Megan Stalter. Though she initially declined to appear on the show she felt compelled to take an on-screen role since the show closely follows her own experience moving across the pond.
“There was so much ‘banter’ and subtext I didn’t get,” she said. “Things were just slightly off.” Though there are similarities in the show, it’s not biographical. Dunham said the characters “may have started as reflections of who we [her and her husband] are” but insists “they aren’t us.”
All episodes of “Too Much” release on Netflix July 10.
