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Elle
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Elle
Sorry, 'Emily in Paris'—Jessica of 'Too Much' Has the Best Style on TV Right Now
Every item on this page was chosen by an ELLE editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. Costume designer Arielle Cooper-Lethem needed to bring color to London. For the new Netflix series Too Much, co-creator Lena Dunham wanted Jessica, the show's lead character, played by Megan Stalter, to look just a little bit larger-than-life. 'The idea was to try and create a world that was very real, but also just a little richer than the world that we live in. Maybe turned up a notch or two,' she says. 'We wanted lots of color, lots of texture, but not [for] everything to be new, some things [were] kind of beat-up and worn-in.' Stalter, for whom Dunham created the part, was a more than willing participant. 'She was just so game for everything, which is great. Because some of the looks we had to put her in were quite crazy,' says Cooper-Lethem. Stalter came in with her own favorites, including pieces from Fashion Brand Company. Cooper-Lethem admits that sizing limitations remained frustratingly common. 'It's still quite difficult to find really fashionable extended sizing clothing, which is a shame,' she says. But the joy that comes from finding the right pieces was something Cooper-Lethem wanted Jessica to convey. 'She's a girl who's evolving, turning into a grownup. She's dating someone zesty and adventurous,' Cooper-Lethem says. 'I think she really is a character that has a lot of fun finding new clothes, so it was important that she felt like she was looking everywhere.' On her first night in London, Jessica wears a white, loose fitting, sailor-inspired dress. In a later episode, we see her wear it again with her ex-boyfriend. 'That [repetition was] definitely intentional,' says Cooper-Lethem. 'That dress actually was supposed to be mistaken for one of her nightgowns.' The number, which is one of the few items that we see Jessica wear in both the New York and London scenes, was from the British brand Foundry Mews. Jessica loves delicate, flowy nightgowns both at home, where we see her wear them with Felix or in fantasy sequences, and out on the street, where she occasionally wears them like a tunic paired with leggings. 'We did end up sourcing a lot of the new ones from this UK-based brand called If Only If. They were wonderful,' Cooper-Lethem says. Many of the others were vintage, including one from the first episode that was intended to have a 'pioneer dress' look. Cooper-Lethem got a custom metallic dress made for an episode where Jessica attends a fancy wedding. It was loosely inspired by the dress that Drew Barrymore's character wears to the prom in Never Been Kissed. 'She was supposed to climb out of a window in it, so we made that custom,' she says. For an elegant dinner party at her boss's home, Jessica wore a patterned raincoat with a fur collar that Cooper-Lethem got from the Spanish brand Celia B. 'It's just so perfect for the character. Because she's a bit whimsical. She's a dreamer,' she says. While Jessica and Felix's wedding might come as a surprise, her bridal outfit makes perfect sense. She's wearing the humorous Nixon crop top that she inherited from her mother with a tulle skirt, and a large bow. 'We collaborated with a designer she had worked with before called Veronica Sheaffer, who's based out of Chicago, to make the veil and the skirt for her, which was a lot of fun.
Cosmopolitan
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
‘Too Much' and ‘Love Island USA' Make Pointing Out Someone's Flaws Seem Romantic
There's something about a declaration of love in a romantic comedy that just works. It's why lines from movies like Jerry Maguire—'You had me at hello'—and Notting Hill—'I'm just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her'—have become part of the lexicon. But recently, there's been a shift in the romantic language and the dreamy 'I love you most ardently' has become a more realistic 'You're kind of annoying, but I'll take it!' And I, for one, can't stand it. This trend has reached a new peak in Too Much, Lena Dunham's new Netflix series. The Girls meets Notting Hill rom-com series is about a woman, Jessica (Megan Stalter), who moves from NYC to London after drunkenly breaking into her ex's apartment in the middle of the night to yell at him and his new girlfriend. Her first night abroad, she meets Felix (Will Sharpe), a vaguely emo indie musician who isn't afraid of her dramatics. It's as funny and relatable and unrelentingly awkward as you want it to be, and yet, there's one key moment in the show that I just can't get behind. It comes midway through the series, and it's a big moment. Felix tells Jessica she's 'too much' during a fight, and when she confronts him, offended, he explains, 'It's not an insult, I mean like, you know, 'You're too much,' like it's a good thing. Like just the right amount and then like a little bit more.' The scene is played like a romantic climax in a rom-com. It even ends with the two making out passionately on the street as the camera rotates around them, à la Never Been Kissed. And while I fully admit that 'Just the right amount and then a little bit more' is absolutely swoon-worthy, could it also be…kind of an insult? It's played as if a man telling a woman she's 'too much' is the most romantic thing in the world. But is it really? Or is it just a critique disguised as love? There's a similar kind of backhanded romantic declaration in Nobody Wants This, a show about a gentile sex podcaster, Joanne (Kristen Bell), who falls for a rabbi. In episode 6, after Joanne starts to get the ick, Noah reels her back in by saying, 'You can self sabotage all you want, but I think you should get over it because, Joanne, I'm on your side. I can handle you.' That line—'I can handle you'—became one of the most iconic moments of the series, and I have no doubt that Too Much's 'Just the right amount and then a little bit more' will have a similar effect. I've noticed the 'I like you in spite (or because?) of your flaws' sentiment recently on reality TV, too. On Love Island USA, fans watched as Amaya Espinal kept being told by men she would couple up with that she was too affectionate too quickly and too emotional. It wasn't until Bryan Arenales validated her and said that 'the cons they see are pros to me' that she finally made a match. The fans ate it up, and, as of right now, Amaya and Bryan are one of the most beloved couples of the season. For the record: I get why romance has shifted away from fanciful tropes of unconditional love that can quickly turn toxic—like Love Actually's idealization-turned-stalking 'To me you are perfect' scene. In the real world, love isn't about finding perfection, it's about embracing people as they are—about seeing all the arguably 'too much' parts of someone and wanting more. And, as someone who talks too loudly, argues too much, overshares, and identifies with Too Much's Jessica, I can see why Felix's 'you're too much' speech will be soothing and affirming to women everywhere. This sentiment 100% works when Will Sharpe delivers them in the show, but in less charming hands, they'd be pretty cruel. It could come off as a backhanded compliment or even negging, especially because it's never really clear what, exactly, makes a woman 'too much.' Is it when she makes an inappropriate joke? Wears icy blue eye shadow when everyone else is in neutrals? Judges a man too harshly? Is passive aggressive when cornered? Talks openly about her period in public? Falls in love too hard, too fast? If the answer is 'all of the above,' then I hate to break it to you, but it sounds like women become 'too much' simply by existing. And why should I be swooning over a man telling a woman that he is willing to 'handle' her basic existence? Maybe I'm being too dramatic, but I don't think we need to live in a world where the height of on-screen romance is a man reciting a list of a woman's perceived flaws. In my romantic fantasies, I don't want to be tolerated, I want to be adored. So, though I am loving Too Much for it's unashamed embrace of a protagonist whose biggest flaw isn't that she's not a super model and it's quirky love story, I'm still just a girl, standing in front of modern romantic tv shows, asking them to find a way to give us realistic, messy characters worthy of love, without constantly calling out their flaws. And if that's too much to ask? Well, I guess you'll just have to take it.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Amazon MGM Studios Rom-Com ‘You Deserve Each Other' Adds Natalie Morales, Justin Long, Kyle MacLachlan, Ana Gasteyer & More
EXCLUSIVE: Big casting myriad sources are telling us tonight for the Amazon MGM Studios feature take of Sarah Hogle's bestselling novel You Deserve Each Other with Natalie Morales, Justin Long, Kyle MacLachlan, Ana Gasteyer, Timothy Busfield, Hope Davis, Delaney Rowe, Lisa Gilroy and Alyssa Limperis joining already cast Penn Badgley and Meghann Fahy. Billed as a lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy, You Deserve Each Other, follows Naomi Westfield who has the perfect fiancé: Nicholas Rose who holds doors open for her, remembers her restaurant orders, and comes from the kind of upstanding society family any bride would love to be a part of. They never fight. They're preparing for their lavish wedding that's three months away. And she is miserably and utterly sick of him. More from Deadline United Artists Lands Feature Comedy Pitch 'Fantasy Camp' From Nicholas Thomas; Nate Bargatze Eyeing To Star & Produce Amazon MGM Studios Names Charlie Coleman As Head Of International Theatrical Marketing Viola Davis' 'G20' Racks Up 50M+ Prime Video Viewers; One Of Amazon MGM Studios' Top 10 Most Watched Action Pics Naomi wants out, but there's a catch: whoever ends the engagement will have to foot the nonrefundable wedding bill. When Naomi discovers that Nicholas, too, has been feigning contentment, the two of them go head-to-head in a battle of pranks, sabotage, and all-out emotional warfare. But with the countdown looming to the wedding that may or may not come to pass, Naomi finds her resolve slipping. Because now that they have nothing to lose, they're finally being themselves – and having fun with the last person they expect: each other. Marc Silverstein and Abby Kohn are directing. They were scribes on romcoms Never Been Kissed and He's Just Not That Into You. The two also revised the screenplay which had a first draft by Brett Haley and Marc Basch. Fifth Season is producing the movie alongside Anthony Bregman and Peter Cron of Likely Story. EP is Caroline Jaczko. Morales will play the role of Cassie. The Grey's Anatomy and No Hard Feelings actress is repped by CAA, Bleecker Street Entertainment and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher. Long plays Austin Frazier and he's repped by IAG. His long line of credits include Barbarian, Live Free or Die Hard, and the Alvin and the Chipmunk franchise. MacLachlan stars on Prime Video's series Fallout and starred on the hit ABC series Desperate Housewives, and the David Lynch canon of Blue Velvet and the Twin Peaks franchise. He's repped by UTA and Entertainment 360. He'll play the role of Eugene Rose. Gasteyer is portraying Deborah Rose. The SNL alum has starred in Mean Girls and AppleTV+ series Loot, and American Auto. She is repped by Gersh and Circle Management. Busfield is Bernie Duncan. The West Wing and Thirtysomething actor is repped by Innovative Artists. Davis is Kathy Duncan. The UTA and Kipperman Managment repped actress' recent credits include The Phoenician Scheme, Asteroid City, Greenland and the series Your Honor as well as HBO's Succession. Rowe plays Wren. The actress repped by UTA and Range Media Partners starred in The Everything Pot and The Drone. Gilroy is Wendy Duncan in the movie. Gilroy was recently seen in AppleTV+'s The Studio, Netflix's Black Mirror, and Hulu's Interior Chinatown. She is repped by OPE and WME. Limperis will portray Sofia Frazier. The Gersh and Levity Talent repped actress and comedian has a Peacock special No Bad Days and starred in Dexter: Original Sin and What We Do in Shadows. First published in 2020 by Penguin imprint G.P. Putnam's Sons, Hogle's novel was a 2x Goodreads Choice Awards nominee, for best romance and best debut, in addition to being an Amazon Editors' Pick for best romance. Best of Deadline 'Stick' Release Guide: When Do New Episodes Come Out? 'Stick' Soundtrack: All The Songs You'll Hear In The Apple TV+ Golf Series 'Wednesday' Season 2: Everything We Know About The Cast, Premiere Date & More
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Amazon MGM Studios Rom-Com ‘You Deserve Each Other' Adds Natalie Morales, Justin Long, Kyle MacLachlan, Ana Gasteyer & More
EXCLUSIVE: Big casting myriad sources are telling us tonight for the Amazon MGM Studios feature take of Sarah Hogle's bestselling novel You Deserve Each Other with Natalie Morales, Justin Long, Kyle MacLachlan, Ana Gasteyer, Timothy Busfield, Hope Davis, Delaney Rowe, Lisa Gilroy and Alyssa Limperis joining already cast Penn Badgley and Meghann Fahy. Billed as a lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy, You Deserve Each Other, follows Naomi Westfield who has the perfect fiancé: Nicholas Rose who holds doors open for her, remembers her restaurant orders, and comes from the kind of upstanding society family any bride would love to be a part of. They never fight. They're preparing for their lavish wedding that's three months away. And she is miserably and utterly sick of him. More from Deadline United Artists Lands Feature Comedy Pitch 'Fantasy Camp' From Nicholas Thomas; Nate Bargatze Eyeing To Star & Produce Amazon MGM Studios Names Charlie Coleman As Head Of International Theatrical Marketing Viola Davis' 'G20' Racks Up 50M+ Prime Video Viewers; One Of Amazon MGM Studios' Top 10 Most Watched Action Pics Naomi wants out, but there's a catch: whoever ends the engagement will have to foot the nonrefundable wedding bill. When Naomi discovers that Nicholas, too, has been feigning contentment, the two of them go head-to-head in a battle of pranks, sabotage, and all-out emotional warfare. But with the countdown looming to the wedding that may or may not come to pass, Naomi finds her resolve slipping. Because now that they have nothing to lose, they're finally being themselves – and having fun with the last person they expect: each other. Marc Silverstein and Abby Kohn are directing. They were scribes on romcoms Never Been Kissed and He's Just Not That Into You. The two also revised the screenplay which had a first draft by Brett Haley and Marc Basch. Fifth Season is producing the movie alongside Anthony Bregman and Peter Cron of Likely Story. EP is Caroline Jaczko. Morales will play the role of Cassie. The Grey's Anatomy and No Hard Feelings actress is repped by CAA, Bleecker Street Entertainment and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher. Long plays Austin Frazier and he's repped by IAG. His long line of credits include Barbarian, Live Free or Die Hard, and the Alvin and the Chipmunk franchise. MacLachlan stars on Prime Video's series Fallout and starred on the hit ABC series Desperate Housewives, and the David Lynch canon of Blue Velvet and the Twin Peaks franchise. He's repped by UTA and Entertainment 360. He'll play the role of Eugene Rose. Gasteyer is portraying Deborah Rose. The SNL alum has starred in Mean Girls and AppleTV+ series Loot, and American Auto. She is repped by Gersh and Circle Management. Busfield is Bernie Duncan. The West Wing and Thirtysomething actor is repped by Innovative Artists. Davis is Kathy Duncan. The UTA and Kipperman Managment repped actress' recent credits include The Phoenician Scheme, Asteroid City, Greenland and the series Your Honor as well as HBO's Succession. Rowe plays Wren. The actress repped by UTA and Range Media Partners starred in The Everything Pot and The Drone. Gilroy is Wendy Duncan in the movie. Gilroy was recently seen in AppleTV+'s The Studio, Netflix's Black Mirror, and Hulu's Interior Chinatown. She is repped by OPE and WME. Limperis will portray Sofia Frazier. The Gersh and Levity Talent repped actress and comedian has a Peacock special No Bad Days and starred in Dexter: Original Sin and What We Do in Shadows. First published in 2020 by Penguin imprint G.P. Putnam's Sons, Hogle's novel was a 2x Goodreads Choice Awards nominee, for best romance and best debut, in addition to being an Amazon Editors' Pick for best romance. Best of Deadline 'Stick' Release Guide: When Do New Episodes Come Out? 'Stick' Soundtrack: All The Songs You'll Hear In The Apple TV+ Golf Series 'Wednesday' Season 2: Everything We Know About The Cast, Premiere Date & More
Express Tribune
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Penn Badgley and Meghann Fahy to lead Amazon MGM's ‘You Deserve Each Other' rom-com adaptation
Amazon MGM Studios is bringing a fresh romantic comedy to the screen with Penn Badgley and Meghann Fahy starring in You Deserve Each Other, an adaptation of Sarah Hogle's bestselling novel. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the project will be directed by Marc Silverstein and Abby Kohn, the creative minds behind Never Been Kissed and He's Just Not That Into You, who also revised the original screenplay. The story follows Naomi and Nick, a couple who appear to be on the verge of a perfect wedding. However, they have secretly fallen out of love and each begins plotting ways to get the other to call it off. As their comedic sabotage unfolds, the narrative evolves from lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers, reigniting their feelings just in time. The book, released in 2020 by Penguin's G.P. Putnam's Sons, received multiple accolades, including nominations for Goodreads Choice Awards and recognition as an Amazon Editors' Pick. The film is being produced by Fifth Season and Likely Story. Badgley, best known for his roles in Gossip Girl and You, brings his signature edge to the rom-com genre. Fahy, who earned acclaim in The White Lotus, adds momentum with her growing list of high-profile projects. Production details and a release date for You Deserve Each Other will be announced by Amazon MGM in due course.
