Nine years after the conclusion of HBO's groundbreaking series "Girls," creator and star Lena Dunham is opening up about her tumultuous professional relationship with co-star Adam Driver in her newly released memoir, "Famesick: A Memoir." Dunham describes Driver's on-set behavior as "short-tempered and verbally aggressive, condescending and physically imposing," revealing that the two have not spoken since the show ended in 2017 after six acclaimed seasons.
Incidents of On-Set Tension and Aggression
Dunham singles out multiple disturbing incidents that she says characterized Driver's mercurial temperament during production. One particularly troubling episode occurred during the filming of an early sex scene between their characters. According to Dunham's account published by Variety, "He hurled me this way and that." She writes about being left stunned and speechless, questioning her own directorial authority and whether she had lost control of the scene.
"It wasn't that I felt violated — and I also wouldn't know if I had, as there was little in my sexual life that I hadn't allowed to happen, and for no pay," Dunham continues in her memoir. "But I felt that something intimate, confusing and primal had played out in a scenario I was meant to control."
Violent Outbursts and Communication Breakdown
The memoir details further aggressive behavior from Driver, including an incident during rehearsals for a later episode when Dunham forgot her lines. "I'd known them only minutes before," she explains. "But when I opened my mouth, all that came out was a stammer — until finally, Adam screamed, 'FUCKING SAY SOMETHING' and hurled a chair at the wall next to me. 'WAKE THE FUCK UP,' he told me. 'I'M SICK OF WATCHING YOU JUST STARE.'"
Dunham also alleges that Driver "didn't answer any of my calls for the next three weeks" after shooting the series' pilot, establishing a pattern of communication breakdown that would persist throughout their working relationship.
Context and Reflection
When asked by The Guardian why she never confronted Driver about his behavior at the time, Dunham explained, "At the time, I didn't have the skill to ... it never entered my mind to say, 'I am your boss, you can't speak to me this way.' And, at that point in my 20s, I still thought that's what great male geniuses do: eviscerate you."
In a separate interview with People this week, Dunham offered a more nuanced perspective, describing Driver as "very talented" and "charismatic," while expressing "a lot of empathy" for the actor. She noted that Driver was experiencing simultaneous career trajectories — gaining recognition for his portrayal of Kylo Ren in the "Star Wars" franchise while "Girls" was airing.
"For better or worse, it was all of our first jobs," Dunham told People. "I think Adam went on a very specific ride because he had the ride of the show and then also the ride of becoming a major movie star at the same time. So he was on these two tracks, and he's a very, very serious work-focused private person ... the goal was never to make Adam seem like he was in any way the outlier of the show, but just to talk about how complex and confusing those first experiences of trying to be a boss were."
Background and Current Status
Dunham was just 25 when "Girls" premiered in 2012, launching her into Hollywood prominence. The semi-autobiographical series, which she created, wrote, and starred in, followed the lives of four twenty-something women in New York and broke new ground with its frank portrayal of female sexuality.
Adam Driver, whose credits include acclaimed films like "BlacKkKlansman" and "Marriage Story," has yet to respond publicly to Dunham's claims. A representative for the actor did not immediately respond to requests for comment from media outlets.
The revelations in "Famesick" provide a behind-the-scenes look at the tensions that existed during the production of one of television's most talked-about series, offering insight into the challenges Dunham faced as a young woman navigating leadership in a high-pressure creative environment.
