Lena Dunham breaks silence about her hiatus from the industry: “It was a painful metamorphosis”
After nearly a decade away from the screen, Girls creator and actress Lena Dunham is stepping back into the spotlight. She is now reflecting on the emotional and personal toll that led her to step away from the industry for the past eight years.
In a candid interview with The Times, Dunham opened up about why she took an “intentional break” from acting following the end of her HBO series in 2017, and how she’s returning with a new perspective in her upcoming OTT series Too Much.
Dunham revealed that after Girls ended, she struggled with the boundaries between her public and private life. She said, “I didn’t really understand how to distinguish between what was and wasn’t necessary for the public.” She admitted that she once believed sharing more of herself would change public perception: “I thought if I explain properly who I am… people are going to have a different perception of me. But no one cares—and that’s fine.”
Rehab, Reflection, and RecoveryDuring her hiatus, Dunham entered rehab for an addiction to prescription anxiety medication, which she said was tied to managing physical pain. She expressed her emotions by saying, “I felt like all the maturing and changing that had been kept at bay by the experience of being in that cocoon of the show was suddenly happening at a speed that was overwhelming. It was a painful metamorphosis,” she added.
A Softer Return with Too MuchNow, Dunham is returning with Too Much, a romantic dramedy premiering on OTT on July 10. The series stars Meg Stalter as Jessica, a New Yorker who moves to London after a breakup and falls for an indie musician played by Will Sharpe. Dunham co-created the show and plays Jessica’s sister, drawing inspiration from her own life, including her move to London and marriage to musician Luis Felber.
In a candid interview with The Times, Dunham opened up about why she took an “intentional break” from acting following the end of her HBO series in 2017, and how she’s returning with a new perspective in her upcoming OTT series Too Much.
Dunham revealed that after Girls ended, she struggled with the boundaries between her public and private life. She said, “I didn’t really understand how to distinguish between what was and wasn’t necessary for the public.” She admitted that she once believed sharing more of herself would change public perception: “I thought if I explain properly who I am… people are going to have a different perception of me. But no one cares—and that’s fine.”
Rehab, Reflection, and RecoveryDuring her hiatus, Dunham entered rehab for an addiction to prescription anxiety medication, which she said was tied to managing physical pain. She expressed her emotions by saying, “I felt like all the maturing and changing that had been kept at bay by the experience of being in that cocoon of the show was suddenly happening at a speed that was overwhelming. It was a painful metamorphosis,” she added.
A Softer Return with Too MuchNow, Dunham is returning with Too Much, a romantic dramedy premiering on OTT on July 10. The series stars Meg Stalter as Jessica, a New Yorker who moves to London after a breakup and falls for an indie musician played by Will Sharpe. Dunham co-created the show and plays Jessica’s sister, drawing inspiration from her own life, including her move to London and marriage to musician Luis Felber.
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