Lena Dunham spoke candidly about her past relationship with Jack Antonoff, which was her first relationship ever and changed her in ways she only realized after they broke up.
The 39-year-old filmmaker and author looks back on the formative years of his life – personally and professionally in his newly published memoir, Fame sickand 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 frontman.
“I just came across as a really sensitive, kind, smart 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 this is our shield against the storm,” Too much said the creator about his former girlfriend.
While Barrymore agreed that the two looked like a brilliant team together and exuded a goodness between them, Dunham agreed, noting, “I’m so glad you felt that, and writing the book was a really good reminder of that, because sometimes, you know, I think obviously there are lots of factors that end a relationship, and most people don’t end up with the person who is their first serious boyfriend.”
The Girls Star shared that at the time, she was confused after the split as to why she couldn’t seem to move on, but she realized that Antonoff was not only her “first love,” but also a source of affirmation for her about herself.
Dunham said, “to have this person who was so smart and so bright and so shiny and like, you know, the cool kid in the middle of the room that everybody wanted to talk to, think that I was okay, no matter what anybody said about me.”
She continued: “I and I think so many women feel that way, whether they’re in the public eye or not, which is that if a certain kind of man chooses them, that’s validation.”
As a young adult navigating her life in the public eye and constantly reading feedback from viewers about her appearance and things she needed to fix, Dunham shared that the validation had become necessary for her.
This is not the first time that Dunham has openly discussed her relationship with the music producer. In the book, she gives a candid insight into their love and how it came to an end.
