Lena Dunham is preparing to tell her life story in Netflix’s Too Much, but she will not be starring in it, enlisting Hacks star Megan Stalter to headline the upcoming series.
“Physically, I was just not up for having my body dissected again,” Dunham, 38, told The New Yorker in a July profile, referring to rampant criticism following her Girls fame. “It was a hard choice, not to cast Meg — because I knew I wanted Meg — but to admit that to myself. I used to think that winning meant you just keep doing it and you don’t care what anybody thinks. I forgot that winning is actually just protecting yourself and doing what you need to do to keep making work.”
In Too Much, Stalter, 33, will portray a thirty-something American woman as she relocates to London and subsequently falls in love with a British musician (portrayed by Will Sharpe). The show is loosely inspired by Dunham’s real life. The Girls creator, for her part, married Luis Felber in 2021 after moving to the U.K. three years earlier.
“I knew from the very beginning I would not be the star of it. First, because I had seen Meg Stalter’s work, and I was very inspired by her,” Dunham told the New Yorker. “She’s unbelievable; I think people are going to be so blown away. We know how funny she is. But, then, when she enters a dramatic scene, you’re, like, ‘Oh, we got a little Meryl Streep on our hands!’”
Keep scrolling to get to know Stalter:
How Megan Stalter Got Her Big Break
In early 2020, the stand-up comedian made a name for herself via social media thanks to her online web series, The Megan Stalter Show.
“I definitely feel like I didn’t fully realize until staying inside that I’m ready to do all this online stuff. I’ve been doing it already, and I can do this for a little while. It just shows how much comedians can do online,” she told Paper Magazine in May 2020. “I think more people are online right now because we’re all home. Now I have to get used to 15-year-olds watching.”
What Else Has Megan Stalter Been in?
Stalter’s social acclaim soon helped her land a starring role on Max’s Hacks as Kayla. She has also appeared in Queer as Folk, Sometimes I Think About Dying, Cora Bora, First Time Female Director and Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain.
Is Megan Stalter in a Relationship?
Stalter identifies as bisexual, confirming her relationship with girlfriend Maddie in October 2022.
“Hard Launch,” the comedian captioned kissing photos via Instagram.
Megan Stalter Is a Proud Body Positive Advocate
“Everybody should do whatever they want with their bodies, but I do think there is some pressure on TikTok to get work done,” Stalter told Popsugar in March. “It’s good that people are being upfront and open about what they’ve had done on one hand, because I think that sometimes people have false advertising.”
Not only is Stalter proud of the way she looks, but she’s not interested in having plastic surgery done.
“I’m not judgmental of other people getting it, and I’m not saying I would never get any, because I think it’s cool that you have the option to,” she said. “For right now, I kind of want to see what my face looks like aging. It’s beautiful to age and it’s such a privilege.”
What Does Lena Dunham Think of Megan Stalter?
“I was thinking a lot about, like, ‘What is it that allows women to be complicated on TV and still be embraced and seen and understood?’” Dunham recalled to the New Yorker. “There’s an openness to Meg’s presence that I think goes a long way. She has whatever the opposite of resting bitch face is. She has [a] resting angel face.”
