Fans of the HBO series Girls have long hoped for a spinoff involving the character Shoshanna Shapiro, and Lena Dunham has recently addressed the potential for such a project. During a podcast appearance on July 8, Dunham reflected on Shoshanna’s importance to the show and shared her enthusiasm for revisiting the character with actress Zosia Mamet.
Dunham, who created, wrote, and starred in Girls, described Shoshanna as her favorite character and praised Mamet’s portrayal as a source of joy. She hinted that if the right opportunity arose for a spinoff, she would be eager to pursue it, noting the character’s promise and appeal.
Insights from the ‘Not Skinny But Not Fat’ Podcast Interview
On the podcast hosted by Amanda Hirsch, the conversation highlighted Mamet’s earlier expression of interest in a spinoff focused on Shoshanna. Dunham acknowledged this enthusiasm, affirming her own excitement about the idea. She mentioned that they have contemplated a spinoff and reflected on where the various Girls characters might be now.
Listen, I love Shoshannah. I am on record and [will] say she is my favorite girl. … I think she is the one who is going places,
Dunham said.
Also, it’s just such a joy to watch Zosia be her, so if it was like the right context for us to do it, I’d be f***ing thrilled and also to do anything with her.
—Lena Dunham, Writer and Actress
In expressing her readiness for the project, Dunham also emphasized missing both the character and the opportunity to work with Mamet again.
She would be so brilliant at revisiting it, and I just miss it, and I miss her,
Dunham commented. I’m in. —Lena Dunham, Writer and Actress
Lena Dunham’s Vision for the ‘Girls’ Characters Today
In a later interview with Variety, Dunham elaborated on where each main character from Girls might be in the present day. Her imaginative update offers insight into the development of their lives years after the show‘s conclusion.
She envisioned Shoshanna navigating life as a businesswoman running a zero-waste athleisure company, following a marriage and divorce with the New York City mayor. Marnie, meanwhile, is in her third marriage and still pursuing music, though with struggles she might address in a support group for sex and love addiction.
According to Dunham, Jessa lives off the grid on a boat in Croatia without having gotten vaccinated, Adam is a cult theater actor likely residing in Berlin, Ray continues his political career on city council while managing his coffee shop successfully, and Elijah has found sitcom success but remains unlucky in love.
Shoshanna was married to, then divorced from, the mayor of New York City, and she runs an athleisure startup that’s zero-waste,
Dunham described.
Marnie — it’s third marriage. She still sings, but I think Marnie really needs to take it to sex and love addicts anonymous.
—Lena Dunham, Writer and Actress
Jessa is unvaccinated and lives on a boat in Croatia,
Dunham continued.
Adam is a cult theater actor, and he’s probably living in Berlin, and Ray is still on city council and running his coffee shop and doing better than anyone. Elijah is the fourth lead on a sitcom, making a good amount of money and still looking for love in all the wrong places.
—Lena Dunham, Writer and Actress
Reflecting on Hannah Horvath’s Current Life
Dunham, who portrayed the central character Hannah Horvath, jokingly admitted to almost forgetting about her when envisioning the present-day scenarios for the cast. She pictured Hannah focusing on teaching, family life, and less concern with fame.
Oh my God, I forgot about her!
Dunham said.
She teaches at Bard and loves raising her son. She probably has a girlfriend who’s, like, a chef. And she’s less obsessed with being famous. That is where I feel that she would land.
—Lena Dunham, Writer and Actress
Recapping the End of ‘Girls’ and the Characters’ Final Moments
Girls ended after six seasons on HBO, wrapping up with a finale that aired in April 2017. The final episode featured Marnie moving in with a pregnant Hannah upstate, five months after she gave birth to her baby boy, Grover. The episode explored Hannah’s challenges with breastfeeding and the complexities of motherhood, as well as a poignant encounter with a teenage girl running away from home.
Hannah’s growth as a parent leads her to advise the teen to return home, underscoring the idea that parents ultimately strive to do what’s best for their children. The episode closes with Hannah and Marnie reconciling and Hannah successfully breastfeeding Grover.
Our Reader’s Queries
Q. Did Lena Dunham have OCD?
A. Conditions such as OCD can be effectively controlled, but they might return. Recognizing the return of old, undesired habits is the difficult first step in regaining control.
Part of what makes this storyline sensitive is that Lena Dunham has personally dealt with OCD in her own life.
Q. What Taylor Swift song is about Lena Dunham?
A. Inspiration for the music and lyrics, as per Swift, came from Jack Antonoff’s relationship with writer and actress Lena Dunham. Both were her good friends. Dunham called it her “someday wedding song.” Swift, when asked about creating “You Are in Love,” mentioned that it was sometimes hard and uninteresting.
