Ahead of the sixth and final season of Girls, we asked the cast and writers to share the scenes they’re most proud of. From Jemima Kirke’s nearly wordless moment to the episode where Jenni Konner humanized Adam, they explain why these are the scenes they keep close.
“My favorite scene is from the first season — episode seven — which is the first episode I wrote with Lena Dunham. We wrote this scene where she and Adam get in a fight by the tracks, after the party in Bushwick. I remember feeling like, this is the opportunity where we can show Hannah is not a reliable narrator. The whole thing has been her point of view of Adam. He is this guy; he’s withholding; he’s only around for her; he has weird sex fantasies. And then he turns on her and he says, ‘You never ask me a thing about myself. You don’t know anything about me. How dare you?’ And it was like, Oh. She has not been truthful with us. Now we are seeing another side. That, to me, was a really fun scene to write, a fun scene to see played out, and so great to give Adam that opportunity. That was the beginning of us letting Adam be his own person.” —Jenni Konner, showrunner
“I liked that season where Adam and Hannah are broken up, and what we talked about was their attempts to stay separate drove them both insane. They both had these terrible experiences. So when she’s in a moment of crisis, he would run to her. They were waiting for a reason to be together. Unfortunately, it’s her having this meltdown from her OCD. We talked about doing a big, romantic run through the city but with the modern version: You’re talking on FaceTime as you do it. We went full Sandra Bullock movie. A lot of people debated after if it was corny or bs. But what I liked about it was I felt like the next day would be a nightmare. Even though it ends on an up note, you just know this really solves nothing and that there’s going to be difficult times ahead. And that’s what life is. People have perfect nights, you know? Perfect dinners. You have these moments and then it can fall to shit 48 hours later. So it seemed like, well, they would get some of those.” —Judd Apatow, executive producer
“There’s a scene, and it’s a very small one, I have like one line: “Hey… I’ll, ah …” It’s in season five, when we leave the play that Adam is in, and see Lena. That was one of my favorite moments. It had to be in the look. There were no real lines for it, and that was really challenging.” — Jemima Kirke (Jessa)
“I didn’t know how to play guitar, and I accompanied myself on a guitar for a scene when Marnie strikes out on her own vocally. But walking barefoot in Chinatown was kind of a mind over matter situation. And being underwater? That whole episode was really challenging. We shot it really fast, and I had a lot of responsibility on my shoulders. I know that’s normal for Lena, but not something I’ve had as much practice with, and that’s something I’m proud of, that I carried it off.” —Allison Williams (Marnie)
“The ‘I’m just a boy standing in front of a boy’ moment. It was a really a very vulnerable scene and certainly something where a lot of people have been in that position. Personally speaking, I certainly have been in that position, where you feel like maybe you’re going to be able to convince this person with some grand gesture that you’re the right one for them, and it doesn’t go your way. First of all, that scene was so beautifully written, and Corey is so remarkable and we really got to have this great little love affair in just a few episodes, so getting to that point with him was easy. I felt very safe with him, and he’s such a great actor and so present and generous and all those things that you want in a scene partner. Lena also directed that scene, so I was in particularly good hands with her. She knew my bag of tricks as an actor, so she knew what to say and how to set me up to get there. Lena was very generous in terms of letting me take the time that I needed to get to that place. I felt very safe in the room.” —Andrew Rannells (Elijah)
“I have a bunch, but I think really the dinner scene where I just found out my husband is gay, and the information is just now crossing my brain panel that it’s really true, and I’m in a very public place. That scene, of processing that information, is probably my favorite that we did in the series.” —Becky Ann Baker (Loreen)
“There’s a scene in episode four of season two called ‘It’s a Shame About Ray,’ and I tell Shosh that I love her at the Bedford L subway stop. I remember really liking the way they edited that scene. It was nice to peel back the layers on Ray; it was the first time we really began doing it on the show, just showing his needs and his vulnerabilities, and that he wasn’t just the smart-aleck guy who would spout off these little snarky comments. We got to start giving him texture and depth, and it’s not easy for him to say ‘I love you’ to someone — the torture, the struggle comes out of his mouth.” —Alex Karpovsky (Ray)
“Probably the one with Gaby in the bathtub, because that was a really special scene to shoot. Shooting a scene with an actual pregnant woman who is in the tub, and you’re required to lift that woman up, and hold a naked, wet, for-real pregnant woman? That was really and genuinely nerve-wracking and stressful because I felt scared. What if I drop her? There was a stunt person there, and we worked on it, we really made it super-easy, so it was really just one move. But even above and beyond, just the sheer, real, terror to shoot a scene like that, it was kind of cool, actually. Gaby’s super-easy to work with, and the fact that she would just put herself out there, literally and figuratively and physically, was really unique. You don’t get to do that stuff that often.” —Jon Glaser (Laird)
“Hmm, no. I mean, to be honest, I haven’t watched most of it. If I have, I’ve kind of watched it like this [peeks through slits in his hands]. My scenes, anyways. I’m proud of sticking it out for four seasons, for creating somebody who lasted and stuck around. That seems like an achievement. I really like all the music scenes and the recording. And I guess to be honest, I’m probably most proud that I got to have Lisa Bonet as a girlfriend.” —Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Desi)
