Girl Riot

Lena Dunham's new show makes growing up painfully funny

Lee Towndrow for TIME

"There is something a little bit ironic about calling 24-year-old women 'girls,'" Dunham says. "But at the same time, I don't think they would self-identify as 'women.'"

The last time Lena Dunham was at the South by Southwest film festival, at age 23, plugging a (literally) homemade indie film with flyers from Kinko's, she did a sit-down with the New York Times in which she mentioned, among other things, that she was a macrobiotic vegan. Two years later, we're in the same hotel caf, and Dunham is here with HBO, which has commandeered seemingly every surface in town to promote her new comedy series, Girls (premiering April 15 at 10:30 p.m. ET). She orders a hamburger, medium rare.

I order the same burger and mention her Times quote....

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!