Comedienne extraordinaire Megan Stalter’s star just keeps rising, from blowup Instagram success to a scene-stealing part in Hacks and now the lead female role in Lena Dunham’s Too Much. The Netflix rom-com series follows the life of New York expat Jessica (Stalter) as she moves to London for the dual purpose of fleeing her awful ex-boyfriend Zev (Michael Zegen) and taking on a new role at her firm’s London production office. Upon her English arrival, Jessica is caught up in an unlikely whirlwind romance with Felix (Will Sharpe), a blokeish indie musician with aspirations of creative success. Here, Stalter opens up about the cultural state of romance, Lena Dunham’s genius, and the unexpectedness of finding love.
The illusory nature of romantic love is a big theme in Too Much, meanwhile there seems to be a growing antipathy towards dating and romance in the culture at large. Is Too Much an antidote for that, or is its take on love more cynical?
“I don’t think that it’s cynical, I think it’s one of the most realistic depictions of falling in love [in your thirties] that I’ve ever read. And, you have a lot of baggage and things that have happened to you, and then you fall in love, that stuff doesn’t go away. I would say from experience that you literally are finally feeling safe enough to show everything that’s happened to you, or you might act like you’re having a breakdown one day but it’s not [because of] the person, it’s because they remind you of something that’s happened before. So, I think it’s really hopeful to watch two people who aren’t perfect find love in each other. It’s Lena’s magic, because she makes the most realistic, beautiful, heartbreaking, funny stuff. Even if something negative is happening between the couple in the show, it’s not because they’re wrong for each other. They’re two people that are finally accepting each other for who they are.”
Were you a Girls fan? If so, did that influence your decision to take on the part of Jessica?
“Girls was my favourite show—it’s still my favourite show. It’s so good. It has so much of the real heartbreaking moments—it makes all the funny stuff even more funny. I’ve probably watched every episode, like, a million times. I’ve watched it every year, twice a year. I go through the whole series at least once a year—there’s no show like it. Every season is so different in the best way, and it definitely made me say, ‘Whatever Lena wants, I’m in it.’ She’s so confident in her directing, writing, and acting. She knows when she has the shot. She knows when something is important or important to let go of. Working with her I can see why Girls was such a huge hit. She’s unbelievable!”
A lot has changed since Girls first aired in 2012. Thirteen years later Too Much is airing with its own commentaries on modern courtship. What do you think is different between dating in the early 2010s versus now? What’s similar?
“Lena said when I first met her that Girls was about sex and this show was going to be about love. That made me understand everything I needed to know about the theme and feel of the show. There’s so much online dating now. I think sometimes people get stuck when they’re online dating because they feel that they have so many options. But, you might be swiping past someone that’s so right for you. I actually met my girlfriend on a dating app, so I’m like, it does work. There’s so many people that just stay chatting—you have to actually meet them! You have to go out. The apps are so huge now—everyone meets like that. We watched the pilot the other day and the way that Jessica and Felix are talking, watching it on screen, it really felt like they captured what it’s like meeting in real life. The way we were talking just felt so real, which was cool to see because we all chat online so much.”
Lena Dunham creates female characters in Too Much that are opinionated and complex. Do you think that Jessica resents her complexity, or does she enjoy it?
“I feel like she’s someone who’s so confident and loves herself but then got in a bad relationship. I think she naturally accepts all the parts of herself. I think when she got in [her previous] relationship, she lost her spark but then started questioning everything about herself. That’s why when the show opens you see her feeling that way about herself. She’s comparing herself to this girl online [and] I don’t think she naturally would, but of course it’s the breakup. Any confident, loud, complex woman would still compare herself to the new person if she’s left and heartbroken. I think that [Jessica] accepts herself and doubts herself because of what she’s been through, and now she’s learning to trust herself and this new person.”
Felix and Jessica are unlikely lovers. What is it that they see in one another that’s so compelling?
“Jessica is attracted to him because he’s letting her be herself, and he likes those differences. She’s in a place where she’s ready for someone to be charmed by her—and he is. Also, opposites attract! I think he has this thing that she’s like, ‘That would be cool to have that in myself,’ but she will never be this musician in the way that he is. They’re cool in different ways and they won’t be cool in the way that the other person is. I think that’s what draws them together too. I’ve felt that British people are either charmed by the loud American girl and think that’s attractive, or they’re annoyed and kind of like, ‘Okay…’”
Too Much is filmed in both London and New York City. What were the most surprising parts about filming in each city?
“Something that was surprising, but probably shouldn’t have been, was when we filmed in New York. There were some paparazzi that found us and I did think that was strange. I’ve not experienced that before. At one point I thought they were with us, so I was smiling and waving. But there’s also something so magical about filming in New York, because it looks like the movies. In London I would say I was surprised, even though I shouldn’t be, about just how much it rains. You really just have to film in the rain sometimes!”
You’re a born and raised Ohioan—would you say that growing up in the Rust Belt has influenced your comedy style?
“It definitely does. I definitely feel like in my TikTok videos I’ve always liked playing people from the Midwest. I’ve always liked playing a mom who’s picking up her kids from cheer practice. I think I also have a fascination with playing a straight woman with a husband. For a long time I thought I was straight, and I think there’s something there. You also just play people that you grew up with and who you know, I think. Anywhere you’re from, that influences your art in some way, I think.”
Stream ‘Too Much’ on Netflix starting July 10th.
