Lena Dunham chose to 'step back' from acting
Lena Dunham has explained why she decided to focus on her writing and directing following the success of Girls.
Lena Dunham chose to "step back" from acting because she was tired of having her appearance "dissected".
The 39-year-old star made a conscious decision to focus on writing and directing after she struggled to deal with scrutiny about her appearance.
Lena told The Independent: "Having my body dissected was a reason that I chose in general to step back from acting a little bit more and focus on my writing and my directing, and also just make different kinds of choices as an actor."
Lena's new TV show, Too Much, actually explores a lot of the issues that she's encountered in her own life.
The actress said: "It’s about your appetite for food, your appetite for life, your wants, your needs, your desires, and it comes in lots of forms, whether you’re told you’re ‘too much’ or ‘messy’ or ‘needy’ or ‘a lot’. What’s ironic is that calling someone ‘too much’ is a really easy way to diminish them."
Lena created the hit HBO series Girls, which ran from 2012 until 2017. However, the actress actually struggled to enjoy her success during her younger years.
She explained: "For all the Girls premieres I was in my twenties, so I was terrified and anxious. So just being able to actually enjoy it this time and be present was really nice."
Lena previously revealed that she wants Too Much to spread a message of "love and hope".
The show follows a girl who moves from the US to London following a break-up, and Lena gave fans an insight into what they can expect.
She told Variety: "We’re going for the girlies who pulled a geographic after a break-up. We’ve been shooting for three weeks and it’s been an amazing experience."
Lena hopes the show will help to spread some positive vibes.
She said: "I just love a woman in crisis getting what she deserves in the good way. And so that’s what we’re going for with that show.
"Also, speaking of this time in the world, trying to make something that’s loving and joyful and still hopefully sharp and incisive and all the naughty scenes that people are used to from me, but with a kind of underlying, underpinned message of love and hope."
