Movies

Lena Dunham’s Netflix Show Is Basically Her Diary—And the Drama Is Wild

BBG News

Since Lena Dunham’s hit HBO series “Girls” ended nearly a decade ago, its creator and lead actress has chosen to stay out of the limelight more. Despite working on several projects during this time – such as the 2018 HBO comedy series “Camping” and the 2022 medieval comedy film “Catherine Called Birdy” – Dunham herself admitted that she took a deliberate hiatus from public life due to the intense criticism she faced during the six-season run of “Girls,” particularly in relation to several controversies for which she received backlash.

In her interview with The Times in June, she expressed that she found it challenging to discern what was essential for the public and what wasn’t. She confessed feeling perplexed about how to react appropriately. She said, “I attempted to clarify my identity or offer a glimpse of who I am, hoping it would change people’s perception of me, fostering friendship. However, no one seemed interested—and that’s alright.

Currently, Lena Dunham is making a comeback on television with the romantic comedy series Too Much, featuring 10 episodes streamable on Netflix. In this production, although Dunham is present in a secondary role, Megan Stalter assumes the central character as Jessica Salmon – a somewhat autobiographical stand-in for Dunham. Jessica is a 30-something New Yorker who works tirelessly and, following a heartbreaking breakup with her longtime partner Zev (played by Michael Zegen), decides to relocate to London. In the English capital, she encounters a troubled musician named Felix Remen (portrayed by Will Sharpe), sparking a passionate romance that compels them both to face their personal challenges.

People who have followed Lena Dunham’s personal developments since the end of Girls may notice some striking parallels between the narrative of her new show, Too Much, and events in her own life. Notably, there are connections to her 2018 split with music producer Jack Antonoff, her relocation to London, and her later marriage to Peruvian-British musician Luis Felber, who collaborated on the creation of Too Much. The extent to which her life is reflected in Too Much, as Dunham revealed to Variety, is not that it’s a direct retelling but rather, “There’s definitely an aspect of my own life that I can’t avoid incorporating.

Here’s everything to know about how Too Much mirrors Dunham’s life.

The breakup

In 2012, Lena Dunham and Jack Antonoff went out on a blind date and started dating for five years, which encompassed the entire run of Girls. Rumors of their split surfaced in January 2018, with reports emerging later that month from Us Weekly suggesting Antonoff had moved on with model Carlotta Kohl. An unidentified source claimed their relationship had been deteriorating for the last six months prior to the breakup. Antonoff and Kohl eventually parted ways, and in August 2021, he started dating actress Margaret Qualley. They got married in August 2023.

In “Too Much,” after seven years as a couple, Jessica and Zev part ways, and surprisingly, Zev begins dating Wendy Jones (Emily Ratajkowski), a well-known knitting influencer, whom he meets at a gathering while he was still with Jess. Towards the end of the story, Wendy requests a meeting with Jess, and during this encounter, she discloses that she has ended things with Zev. However, she claims that Zev had initially told her they had been separated for six months prior to their official breakup, which Jess asserts is not accurate.

The narrative in question, entitled “Too Much,” underscores Jess’ excessive preoccupation with examining Wendy’s social media accounts following her relationship with Zev. This plotline appears to be drawn from Lena Dunham’s personal experiences, as suggested by a November 2018 profile of her where she confessed that it was distressing for her to peruse Antonoff’s new girlfriend’s Instagram stories.

She said to The Cut, “Playing the role of the overly emotional ex-girlfriend feels like an unusual, humorous spectacle. I believed I was demonstrating that strange women can experience love as well. Now he’s dating someone who appears conventional, normal, and like how girls are typically depicted.” (Apart from being an actress, Ratajkowski is also a model.)

Details from Lena Dunham and Jack Antonoff’s relationship, which Dunham has discussed publicly, also seem to be hinted at in the show. For example, a flashback scene in Episode 5 suggests that Antonoff (portrayed as Zev) may have disapproved of Dunham’s fondness for pink home decor when they were moving in together. In an essay published for the Fall 2019 issue of Domino magazine, Dunham wrote about her disagreements with Antonoff regarding her interior design choices.

She expressed that she disliked it, yet wished otherwise. She strived not to dislike it, but found living amidst the depths of her mind challenging. Every compromise in design or replacement of bright pink with dovy gray left her feeling unwell. Love can endure a certain amount of strain, but not indefinitely.

The dogs

In Episode 5, as flashbacks reveal aspects of Jess and Zev’s past, it becomes clear that they once decided to take in a dog named Cutesie upon Jess’ insistence. However, following an unfortunate incident where Cutesie displays aggression towards another dog at the park, Jess finds herself in a difficult situation and is ultimately compelled to rehome him.

This plot detail appears to be inspired by a true event involving Lena Dunham and her pet dog Lamby. After initially adopting him from a shelter in Brooklyn (BARC), she surrendered him to a canine rehabilitation center in Los Angeles in 2017. In an Instagram post, she explained that the action was due to four years of challenging behavior and aggression stemming from abuse he endured as a puppy.

After Lamby’s adoption from BARC stirred up quite a debate online, an employee allegedly wrote an email to a Yahoo reporter claiming that Lamby was fine until he met Dunham. In response to this accusation in 2018, Dunham told The Cut, “You can say all sorts of things about me, but I am a dedicated pet owner. Ask anyone who works with me on a pet-related level.” She further added, “Who among animal shelter workers is likely to contact Yahoo! Celebrity? But subjecting him to public scrutiny like that doesn’t help my case. It’s more productive just to take it in stride and say, ‘Alright, sir, you can enhance your career by labeling me a poor dog owner.’

It’s understandable that the sequence of events surrounding Dunham wasn’t favorable for her critics. Just a year after Lamby was rehomed, Gia Marie, an elderly Sphynx cat whom Dunham had adopted following a house fire with lung damage, and Bowie, a 13-year-old Yorkie, both passed away within a few months of each other. This string of misfortunes sparked an online rumor alleging that Dunham was responsible for her pets’ deaths. However, she swiftly refuted this theory by highlighting the fact that many of the animals she had adopted were quite old.

In “Too Much”, after parting ways with Zev, Jess welcomes a hairless chihuahua named Astrid into her life, who eventually becomes her most cherished friend. Regrettably, in the final scene, Felix notices Astrid laboring to breathe and hastily takes her to the vet. However, before Jess could bid her farewell, Astrid’s heart tragically stops functioning.

The marriage

Following a relocation from New York to London in January 2021, Dunham encountered Felber during a blind date arranged by mutual acquaintances. As Felber shared with the New York Times later on, their initial encounter lasted approximately eight hours without a break in conversation. “It was quite remarkable,” he said, “I’d been on numerous dates over the past year. Typically, I find people are guarded during the first few dates. But on this occasion, I was completely open and authentic, and Lena appreciated that quality. We’re similar in that way.

Come September, much like Jess and Felix in the movie “Too Much,” I found myself standing at the altar with my partner, having decided to tie the knot spontaneously at Soho’s Union Club. It was a small gathering of around 60 friends who witnessed our union. Yet, Stalter clarifies that the show doesn’t aim to mirror Lena Dunham and Max Joseph’s relationship directly.

According to Stalter, Lena and Luis frequently emphasized that their characters weren’t mere imitations. There was no expectation for them to mimic the pair. Instead, Stalter and Will had the freedom to incorporate their own ideas and interpretations into the characters, creating a unique blend of the original personalities with their own additions. Essentially, they were not impersonating Lena and Luis but rather breathing life into a narrative that contained aspects of both them and themselves.

Even though it had a positive conclusion, Dunham intended for ‘Too Much’ to depict the struggles that two individuals with extensive personal histories might encounter in a relationship, both independently and collectively, as they strive to maintain their bond.

I’ve always tended towards a more pessimistic romantic outlook in my work, even in the most heartwarming scenes, like when Marnie and Charlie reconnect on Girls, an unexpected heroin needle slipping out of his pocket serves as a stark reminder. However, in contrast to that, I found myself drawn to create something more optimistic with Too Much, perhaps due to meeting someone who made me question if there could be lasting happiness, or if we’re all just running on a treadmill without realizing it. The idea was to craft a piece that captured this feeling of hope, while still acknowledging the complexities and traumas of our individual pasts with addiction. Essentially, I wanted to portray what it looks like when two people meet, each trying their best to be the best versions of themselves, welcoming someone else into their lives, despite the baggage we both carry.

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2025-07-10 20:08

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