Not so long ago, Megan – Star of Lena Dunhams new Netflix Romantic comedy series, “Too much” – Still was Hustling to make a name for himself in comedy.
After leaving Ohio in the mid-2010s to run an entertainment career, Stalter Stand-Up, Improv and other stage work in Chicago until she found an early dose of fame on social media and published video carpentry by Cringe Women-In memorable butter contractor Who the opening line was “Hello, Gay!” It didn’t take long for her to Parlay her various jobs, including a web series called “The Megan Stalter Show”, to a Breakout section on HBO’s “Hacks“Komos in projects such as Julio Torres'”From the problem“And other enviable roles on the screen. Her relatively short path to fame, however, was windy enough that she would learn that, what medium she worked in, her real passion was to maintain.
“When I was a kid, I always wanted to be an actor. And when I decided that was what I would go for, I found a improv and stand -up as a door to perform, and then fell in love with it,” said Stalter to IndieWire before “too much” series premiere on July 10. “I just think I love to behave so much and will always do it.”
Stalter added that she appreciates how each phase in her career – from staging off -beat -comedy shows to publish humorous videos on social media and working with some of the biggest series in recent years – has produced something unique in her as an artist.
“Every chapter in my career has changed me. I was another artist before” hacks “, and now I am another artist after” too much “. And I think it’s so cool that we can change in our careers, in the way we perform, like that,” she said.
“It’s even fun to think about being back in Chicago and doing living things. There was a chapter where I did, like strange burlesque things on a stand-up show. It was comedy, but I was always in my bra, spraying whipped cream on myself,” she continued with a rolling laugh.
The native in Cleveland who now lives in Los Angeles may have come a long way from entertaining at the Midwest stages in her underwear, but there are certainly remnants of the artist in her roles on the screen. In “hacks,” Stalter’s KaylaA chaotic Nepo-Baby with a heart of gold, steals the show with his comments outside the wall and often pass on his colleague Jimmy (Paul W. Downs). And in “too much”, her character, Jess, both have vulnerability and awkward charm It immediately draws others in addition to regularly appear in high-master underwear that stalter hand-picked. But she is also very obviously Dunham-Esque.
“I too,” which is a dream game for stalls as a long fan of “girls”, is loosely based on Dunham’s love story with her now Make Luis Felber, a British musician she met after moving to the UK in 2021. A kind of division With New York and TV acts after sex demanding seasons Of her hitserie-Jess, move to London to start her stopped career in production and find a new start after a messy split with her live-in boyfriend (Michael Zegen). Almost immediately she falls for a troubled musician named Felix (Will sharp) and is swept into a world populated by elegant exer and rich, rudderless Londoners. And she is suddenly with a new life that is almost enough to distract her from what is happening at home with her ex and his new girlfriend, Wendy Jones (Emily Ratajkowski).
While navigating in his new reality, Jess is often in uncomfortable or embarrassing situations, which are well suited for Stalter’s brand of comedy and her background in improv. Especially when playing opposite Sharpe (“The White Lotus”) comedians demonstrates his talent to create a character that is related and outlandic, delightful but painful to watch – not unlike Dunham, who plays Jess’ sister in the new series, back in “Girls.”
“One of the things I do a lot, which I feel it is easy for me, is to play someone who is really safe and nervous at the same time,” said Stalter about Dunham who encourages the actors to improvise uncomfortable moments between Felix and Jess, with reference to a scene involving a particularly difficult kiss. “Improvise an embarrassing moment is most natural to me.”
Like “girls”, “small furniture” and other projects from Dunham, “too much”, melancholy turns, with sometimes more serious blasts between the main characters-inclair a struggle that Stalter said “felt really sad and strange and frightening” into film given the usually jovial environment on the set. During these scenes, Stalter said, she leaned more at Dunham, who would help her take advantage of some of the more serious aspects of the main character of the series.
“She helped me gain access to what I couldn’t at the moment,” said Stalter, explaining that she would sometimes fight to get into the character’s way of thinking because of a long day, a little sleep the night before or could not relate. “If I just joined her before the scene I was there. If I talked to her, I could cry in every shot.
“I think it only shows her skills as a director to be able to get in touch with me so,” she added and forwarded it from their first meeting, she felt as if she had known Dunham forever – although it felt “surreal” to actually share a set of multihyfenate.
Although “too much” is not a purely light watch, even evokes the heavier moments in the show a smirk or at least some laughs, thanks to Dunham’s Wry feeling for humor, Sharpe and stalls deliveries and a star-studded role with some of the most versatile American, British and European plays in Biz.
Richard E. Grant plays Jess’ London manager who hosts drug-driven gatherings for the staff with the help of his wife, played by Naomi Watts. Adèle Exarchopoulos gives a funny turn as one of several exs called Polly which makes up Felix Circle. Rhea Perlman and Rita Wilson appear as Jess’s very opinion, co -dependent mother and grandmother. Even Andrew Scott shows up to play a self -serving director whose serial fraud has captured him. And stalter, no stranger for the lead role with great name actors after four seasons of “hacks”, plays them as a experienced professional-all, as she puts it in the press notes, is “strange and silly” and “misunderstanding” on set.
“I feel like it is just part of my personality: in high school, I did not get a good part in the play, but i’d be real funny backstage and too loud during rehearsal,” stalter said, review her favorite moments from film “Hacks” co-star downs, and exarchopoulos, whom she describes as intuitively funny and the kind of cool that’s only see in movies.
“But I also think I’m just so excited and happy to be there. From the moment I was,” I will move out of Ohio and make comedy full time, “every part of it has been a dream. I would be,” I can’t think I’m in improvisation class. I’m so excited to be here. “And that energy, I think, makes you evil and naughty in a good way,” she said, giving a disgusting smile.
There are many more incredible and naughty moments to come in Stalter’s career, to be safe. But at the moment she is still biting in the glow to start opposite Dunham, Scott, Exarchopoulos and the rest of the “too much” role and maintain her expectations of what comes the next reasonably low.
“I first and foremost want to continue. My goal has always been to write things that I am in. And I would really like to be in some kind of scary. Of course I mean everyone wants to be in”The white lotus“Said the actor, leaving that she would be more than happy to take on a fun horror movie about Mike White will not beat. “I think it would be so cool.”
“Too much” premieres on Netflix July 10.
