Interview [Written]: Lena Dunham

A WGA.org interview with writer-director-actor Lena Dunham (Tiny Furniture, “Girls”).

You said in a recent interview that when you saw Les Misérables as a kid it was kind of life altering, that you adored Cosette and wanted to play her, but at the same time felt like you never really could, that you’d have to take a different route. Is there a sort of emotional chip on your shoulder that has driven your brave, here-I-am voice?

I never got parts in the school plays. That’s not a woe-is-me thing, just a fact. I loved theater and wanted to play characters besides a bouncing ball or an angry nurse, but I had a shrill voice and a strange manner. I had the sense that if I wanted to perform I would have to create the roles. Cosette was a beautiful fantasy, an elegant girl who the world had been cruel to. Those parts were not my lot, but I can still appreciate them.

How much has growing up with people who had the audacity to make a success of artistic expression emboldened you to do what you’ve done — or has it made it more of a challenge in some ways?

My parents made a life as an artist seem both possible and challenging, and that was a perfect balance. I trusted I could do it, but was also prepared for the inevitable rejections and droughts that characterize a creative career. I feel so lucky that they led by example.

When, where, and how do you write — paint me a quick pic of the viscera of your writing process?

I write in bed, on planes, in vans. I wish it was at a gorgeous desk with a cup of tea but it’s often hurried and compulsive, especially when I’m mid-shoot. I love getting up early and sitting down at a sunlit table to wrangle my thoughts — it just rarely happens. Even these questions are being answered from bed after a long travel day!

For the rest of the interview, go here.

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