Photo Source: Jojo Whilden
“I always sort of thought I would act because I kind of have to,” says Dunham. “Because I'm making these low budget things, and who else am I going to get to do this?”
But her upcoming series, “Girls,” which debuts on HBO April 15, brings Dunham out of the indie world and into the mainstream. The hourlong series, executive produced by Judd Apatow, follows four 20-something girls as they navigate the uncertainties of New York City life. Dunham stars as Hannah, alongside Allison Williams as Marnie, Jemima Kirke as Jessa, and Zosia Mamet as Shoshanna.
“It's funny, I've never really considered myself an actor,” says Dunham, who also writes and directs the series. “But I consider myself somebody who just sort of says the words that I wrote. And playing (Hannah) was the first time I sort of took stretches in that way. And it actually felt really good.”
Dunham shares her experience with “Girls” below.
On writing:
“The fun thing about writing your own material [is] you, better than anyone, know your own limits and know what you can do and know what feels good and doesn't feel good for you to perform. And also, you can give yourself the kinds of roles that other people might not necessarily see you for, or write the kinds of roles that don't necessarily exist. […] The challenging thing about being an actor […] is there's powerlessness to waiting around for someone to give you the opportunity to do your work. And so I think if you have the desire to write that that can never hurt you. And that it will only be helpful and educational to your experience as an actor.”
On playing characters similar to herself:
“There’s definitely stuff that Hannah's done in her ignorance, albeit in a good-hearted way, that I never ever undertake in my life. I like to think I'm one year older and slightly wiser. But there is a lot of me in her [and] in everything that I do. I'm not an actress with a tremendous range so there has to be some personal element driving each performance moment and each writing moment.”
On casting “Girls”:
“Our goal was to show a cool cross-section of girls who felt like they would know each other and who would be close but have enough varying viewpoints for it to really feel like we're getting four different perspectives on what life at this time would be like. I wrote [Jemima Kirk's] role with her in mind. […] She was in “Tiny Furniture,” [and] we've known each other since high school. Allison and Zosia were people who just have wowed me in audition contacts, and it was amazing to see people who I was so inspired by just walk into a room and amaze me like that.”
On working with Judd Apatow:
“Women are a big influence for Judd. But like me, he's somebody who started really close to home with his own experiences, and his experiences have been […] a Jewish comedy now, not a 24-year-old woman. But I was amazed by his sensitivity as he talks about the story. I think people would be shocked by how much the really emotional stuff on the show and the really thoughtful stuff came from Judd notes. […] I felt marginalized as a woman in lots of places in my life, but spending time in Judd’s work-world has not been one of those places.”
On being the voice of a generation:
“My experience will make sense to some women, and not to others because we're all unique snowflakes. […] If it sparks any kind of dialogue about women and what it feels like to be a woman at the current cultural moment, then that's exciting. […] I never claimed to be able to represent anybody, like, sexually or emotionally or anything.”
