From the Archives: Lena Dunham Discusses 'Girls' and Her Art-World Roots

In a March 2012 Vogue article by Chloe Malle, Lena Dunham, then 25, discussed her forthcoming HBO series Girls. The show, which Dunham writes and directs, follows four young women navigating life in New York. Dunham first gained attention with her Web series Delusional Downtown Divas, a satire about art-world offspring, and her 2010 film Tiny Furniture, which drew on her own life after graduating from Oberlin and returning to her family's Tribeca loft. Her parents are artist Laurie Simmons and Carroll Dunham. Executive producer Judd Apatow, who mentored Dunham after admiring Tiny Furniture, described the show as a painfully honest portrayal of young women's mistakes. The cast includes Jemima Kirke as Jessa, Allison Williams as Marnie, and Zosia Mamet as Shoshanna. Dunham acknowledged comparisons to Sex and the City but noted her characters reflect a different reality. The series premiered on April 15, 2012.