Lena Dunham And Judd Apatow Get Mad Over "Girls" Nudity Question

At Television Critics Association winter press tour to promote HBO's "Girls" new season, a reporter of The Wrap Tim Molloy started the event by asking creator and star Lena Dunham why she and many of the comedy's characters were naked all the time.

This question raised the ire of the show's executive producers, Judd Apatow and Jenni Konner.


Dunham stated the nudity was a realistic expression of life, noting that if the reporter was "not into me" that was his problem. Later, executive producer Jenni Konner claimed the line of questioning was inappropriate and put her into a "rage spiral."

Apatow said the question was offensive, sexist and misogynistic.


Reporter: "I don't get the purpose of all the nudity on the show. By you particularly. I feel like I'm walking into a trap where you say no one complains about the nudity on "Game of Thrones," but I get why they're doing it. They're doing it to be salacious. To titillate people. And your character is often naked at random times for no reason."

Dunham: "It's a realistic expression of what it's like to be alive. I totally get it if you're not into me, that's your problem.



Dunham left after the panel.

Apatow: "You should read it and discuss it with other people. It is very offensive.


Reporter: "Is it sexist? Because I would ask the same question".

Apatow: "It's sexist and offensive, it's misogynistic."

Reporter: "I'm not saying it's bad that she's nude."

Another reporter stated that if Lous C.K. were naked on his show, we would ask about it.

Apatow: "There's a way to word a question about the reason for nudity on the show and it was not done elegantly. If you reread it and you listen to it you will not be proud of yourself."


Reporter: "I'm not un-proud of myself in any way because everyone I know has wondered the same thing. I don't understand as a writer, what the reason for it is. I'm not against it."

Apatow: "That's another thing. It shows a lack of depth in how you watch the show."



Reporter: "I watch the show really deeply, actually. I'm trying to understand it as a TV critic. That's my job."

Apatow: "As a TV critic, you don't understand why a show about young people in New York who spend some of their time naked, and some of their time having sex, includes women who sometimes are naked and sometimes have sex?"


Reporter: "Then why aren't all of the characters naked?"


He explained a show about the reporter would feature him naked some of the time.

Reporter: "Then why aren't all the characters in your movies naked some of the time? Paul Rudd wasn't naked."

Apatow: "There's male nudity in "Walk Hard." I have people naked when they're willing to do it. Lena is confident enough to do it so we have the opportunity to talk about other issues because she is braver than other people. If Paul Rudd said to me, I'm willing to be completely naked in the movie, I would use it. If Seth (Rogen) said he was willing to be completely naked - he showed his butt in a post-sex scene in "Knocked Up" - I would use it because it's more honest."


Reporter: "Well then that's the answer." 




Apatow: "Read how you asked the question."

The reporter after noted that on "Game of Thrones" they do it for salacious purposes, adding he is not giving "Game of Thrones" credit for that. "Salacious" doesn't have a positive connotation."


Apatow: "Just listen to yourself."


Reporter: "I'm really, truly stupid then, because I don't understand."

Apatow: "Maybe you just got nervous how you asked it and it came out much darker, edgier and negative than you realized."



The show returns Sunday for its third season. HBO said it is ordered a fourth season of "Girls."


Feel free to comment and share this blog post if you find it interesting!

Comments

Popular Posts