In the first episode of Lena Dunham’s seminal HBO show, Girls, which first aired in 2012, her character, Hannah Horvath, declares, “I think that I may be the voice of my generation. Or at least, a voice of a generation.” With over a decade of distance, many people now agree. While Girls is having a renaissance (Gen Z has finally discovered the show and are bringing clips to TikTok), Dunham, 38, has moved on. Her latest project is the Holocaust drama Treasure, in theaters now, which she produced and co-stars in alongside Stephen Fry. To celebrate the occasion, Dunham shares her least favorite things. —Clara Molot
LEAST FAVORITE NUMBER: Six. It’s so smug.
LEAST FAVORITE COLOR: The spectrum from blush to puce …
LEAST FAVORITE TEAM: Team Jacob (Team Edward for life).
LEAST FAVORITE BOND: The bond between mother and child. (Oh, you
mean James? That’s above my pay grade.)
PREFERRED DEADLY SIN: Lust is cute.
FOOD THAT MAKES YOU GAG: Tuna salad.
BOOK YOU NEVER FINISHED:
A book about manifesting I got for Christmas. The minute it asked me to make a collage I was out.
FILM YOU WALKED OUT OF: The first time I saw Hereditary it was about 10 in the morning—no horror after a big breakfast. I returned at night to complete it and now? I can’t get enough Ari Aster.
soNG YOU NEVER WANT TO HEAR AGAIN: They used to wake us up at summer camp with “Beautiful Day” by U2, so for years I associated it with six A.M. and hunter-green uniforms. Now it just makes me smile.
CHARACTER FROM HISTORY YOU MOST DISLIKE: Mary Shelley’s stepsister Claire Clairmont had a bad little attitude …
ITEM OF CLOTHING YOU WOULD NEVER WEAR: Formal shorts.
WORST FORM OF TRANSPORT: Cruise ship.
PREFERRED FORM OF REVENGE: D.G.A.F.
FAVORITE CURSE WORD: Since marrying a Brit, it’s “See you next Tuesday.” They have a way of making such a no-go sound pretty cozy.
IDEA OF MISERY: Nothing creative brewing and no time to nap.
THING YOU SAID BUT WISH YOU HADN’T: “Trust me, this will go perfectly.”
WORST ADVICE YOU’VE EVER GOT: “Just tell him how you feel.”
WORST ADVICE YOU’VE EVER GIVEN: “There’s no such thing as unrequited love.”
LAST WORDS BEFORE EXECUTION: “Oh, come on.”
Lena’s Inessentials
Treasure is in theaters now
