Allison Williams says Original "Girls" Viewers Missed the Show's Point

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Allison Williams Says the "Point" of "Girls" was "Missed a Little Bit" by Original Viewers: It's "Resonant in a New Way"
by Emlyn Travis
May 28, 2024


Allison Williams is fully on board with the redemption arc that her "Girls" character, Marnie Michaels, is having among Gen Z viewers.

The actress reflected on the lasting impact of the HBO series with her costar Ebon Moss-Bachrach in a recent Vanity Fair video, where she marveled at all of the “pro-Marnie” comments that have been popping up online in recent years as a younger generation watch it for the very first time.

“My theory is what was coded as selfishness among Millennials is now coded as self-care and just being aware of what you need, and advocating for your needs and standing up for yourself,” Williams explained to Moss-Bachrach. “And so Gen Z is like, ‘No, we get her. She makes sense to us.’”




She noted it wasn’t just Marnie — a character that she described as “before her time” — who was skewered in the public eye when the series first aired from 2012 until 2017, either. “The whole show got a lot of flack when it was airing for everyone being too selfish and self-centered and blah, blah, blah," she explained.

Moss-Bachrach, who played Marnie’s former bandmate and love interest Desi Halperin, then joked that Gen Z viewers may find Williams’ character to be relatable because the “level of narcissism” that she exhibited throughout all six seasons of the show has simply become the “baseline” these days.




“No! I actually think that it’s a bunch of girls trying to create the best environment for each of them to survive and thrive and being wrong, but like still trying and caring,” Williams replied through her laughter. “I think that’s a pursuit that is resonant in a new way, whereas before it just looked like we didn’t know that any other countries existed or that anyone had lives that were less fortunate than ours. But that was sort of the point — it just got missed a little bit.”

Moss-Bachrach, however, didn’t appear to be so sure. “It was massive narcissism,” he maintained. “It’s insane self-involvement. But... I think there’s something to that, too.”




The pair also imagined what their characters would be doing in the present day. “I think Marnie, I think she’d still be trying to have a singing career, in addition to other jobs,” Williams said. “I picture her with another marriage under her belt come and gone, I think. Probably on the verge of deciding to have a baby on her own.”

Moss-Bachrach said Desi would either be “working with troubled youths” in the desert or “bussing tables” out in Joshua Tree. “Like, adjacent to a music scene, maybe?" he said. "But I like the idea of him as a therapist. Not like a licensed therapist, but somebody who’s really getting their hands dirty and just like, ‘I’ve been there, guys. I know what you’re going through.’”

https://ew.com/allison-williams-says...-girls-8654685