How will people remember Girls — an often very good show that doesn’t get the credit it probably deserves — in 10 years? Will it be the race-based controversies? Or introducing the world to Adam Driver? Or the sex scenes?
It’s definitely the sex scenes, none more memorable than when “Brian Williams’ daughter gets her salad tossed.” That’s how Allison Williams put it, at least, in the Hollywood Reporter‘s oral history of Girls, which kicks off its final season on February 12. The whole thing is worth a read — especially for the part where creator Lena Dunham says, “No one would be calling me a racist if they knew how badly I wanted to f*ck Drake” — but the highlight is definitely Dunham and executive producer Judd Apatow discussing a sex scene that even HBO, famous for its televised nudity, said no to.
APATOW: From the beginning, we were aware that what we were doing was sexually provocative, and that’s what made it interesting and new and fun. Lena wanted to reveal something that is normally hidden — so often you’re not talking about a giant part of most people’s lives because people don’t want to portray it on film — and that opened up tons of stories that you’re usually not able to tell. But then we had a scene with a conclusion shot…
DUNHAM: It was actually cum arcing through a shot.
APATOW: And HBO said, “If this is in the show, we could lose our license.” We were like, “Oh my God, we’ve actually found the line at HBO.” (Via)
HBO’s then-entertainment president Sue Naegle described it as “like a fire hose.” But Dunham and Apatow eventually got their “shot,” so to speak, in a controversial and rough sex scene between Driver and guest star Shiri Appleby, who said, “I never saw it as rape. That was never a conversation.” Executive producer Jenni Konner added, “To me, that was a fully consensual bummer of a sex scene. But that was one where people got upset, and I was thrilled for the feedback because it was really thoughtful and emotional.” Oh, and in case you were wondering: it was conditioner and Cetaphil.
If you remember one thing about Girls, remember conditioner and Cetaphil.
(Via the Hollywood Reporter)
