Lena Dunham says new Netflix series is a 'love letter' to her favourite UK city
Landing a deal with HBO at the tender age of 23, Lena Dunham 's Girls offered an authentic glimpse into the lives of four 20-somethings in New York City, bagging both Bafta and Golden Globe accolades along the way.
After wrapping up Girls in 2017, Lena Dunham has been busy directing comedic gems such as Catherine Called Birdy with stars Bella Ramsey and Andrew Scott, and helming the pilot for the dramatic series Industry.
Now, aged 39 and a decade on from the Girls finale, Dunham is gearing up for her latest venture, Too Much. The 10-episode rom-com extravaganza ropes in The White Lotus 's Will Sharpe and Hacks sensation Megan Stalter. In collaboration with her beau, English rockstar Luis Felber, the show takes a leaf out of their own romantic tale.
Dunham shared insights on the creative process: "I think obviously the seeds of it came from our life, and then once you begin writing, you find out who the characters are and you take a journey that moves away from it." She has an affinity for spinning tales from personal threads, adding: "I always like to write from a place that begins with the personal, because I think personal stories are universal – and then see what it has in store for me."
Viewers will follow Jessica, played by Stalter — a dedicated New Yorker hitting a reset button in London post-heartbreak — forming an intriguing bond with Sharpe's Felix.
Too Much not only charts their blossoming rapport but also explores the humorous question underlying transatlantic romance: Do Americans and Brits genuinely talk the same language?
Dunham, who relocated from New York to London in 2021, refers to Too Much as a love letter to the UK's capital city. "I love everything about London," she expressed. "I love the contrast of the city."
Just as Girls provided a more unfiltered view of New York, Too Much showcases a grittier, less glossy side of London. Instead of residing in an idyllic Borough Market flat like Bridget Jones, Jessica lives in a council estate in Hoxton, East London.
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"Growing up in New York, I was obsessed with Sex and the City," Dunham reflected. "I thought, when I graduate from university, I'm going to live in this fantastic flat and my oven is going to be full of Manolo Blahniks.
"Then I entered the world as a recession was starting, and so many of my mates were job hunting and living in, you know, literal rooms the size of this tiny table in Brooklyn – and I hadn't seen that reflected on screen.
"When I moved to London, again I had been fed those same romantic comedies. To me, it's not even about portraying glamour versus non-glamour. I find all of London glamorous, and I wanted to be able to show a diverse array of locations – because I'm very enamoured with the city."
The eagerly awaited series 'Too Much' will drop on Netflix for streaming starting Thursday 10 July.
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