Lena Dunham has spoken candidly about her past relationship with Jack Antonoff, which was her first relationship and changed her in ways she only realized after their breakup.
The 39-year-old filmmaker and writer looks back on the formative years of her life – personal and professional in her recently published memoir, Evil of fameand she discussed it with Drew Barrymore on her show.
While talking about all aspects of the book, Dunham also shed light on the chapter she wrote about her relationship with the Bleachers leader.
“I just met a very sensitive, kind, intelligent person. And when you’re, you know, 25, you don’t know how young you are. So you think this is it. We’re going to be together for the rest of our lives. Like it’s our shield against the storm,” she said. Too much the designer said of her former boyfriend.
While Barrymore acknowledged that the two made a brilliant team and radiated goodness between them, Dunham agreed and noted, “I’m so glad you felt that and writing the book was a really good reminder of that because sometimes, you know, I think of course there are a lot of factors that end a relationship and most people don’t end up with the person who is their first serious boyfriend.”
THE Girls The star shared that at the time, after the split, she didn’t understand why she couldn’t move on, but she realized that Antonoff was not only her “first love” but also a source of validation for her about herself.
Dunham said, “having this person who was so smart and so bright and so brilliant and kind of like you know, the cool kid in the center of the room that everyone wanted to talk to, thought I was okay no matter what anyone else said about me.”
She continued, “I think a lot of women feel that way, whether they’re in the public eye or not, that if a certain type of man chooses them, that’s validation.”
As a young adult navigating her life in the public eye and constantly reading viewer comments about her appearance and the things she needed to fix, Dunham shared that validation became necessary for her.
This isn’t the first time Dunham has openly discussed her relationship with the music producer. In the book, she offers a candid insight into their love and how it ended.
