When Amy Schumer Auditioned to Play Shoshanna on ‘Girls’
Amy Schumer Image by Getty Images
By Thea Glassman September 2, 2016
Six years ago, Amy Schumer walked into an audition room to try out for Shoshanna, the fast-talking, ditzy, bubblegum character on what would later become the hit television show “Girls.”
She didn’t get the part—but she made a huge impression on Lena Dunham, the show’s creator.
“Everyone in the room was stunned by the detail and skill of her improv, the wild talent radiating off her,” Dunham wrote in her most recent “Lenny” newsletter. “When she left the room, the vibe was very “Someone give that lady a show, STAT!”
Fast-forward a handful of years later, and Dunham is interviewing Schumer over Skype, this time about her New York Times bestseller book “The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo.”
There’s plenty of juicy, funny and honest moments throughout the interview—unsurprising coming from two of the most candid women in Hollywood.
We collected just a few of them.
On Kurt Metzger’s controversial rape comments.
“Kurt was saying this awful stuff, and in previous years, I would be like, “You’ve got to shut up.” He’d be like, “All right.” Then it would kind of go away.” Schumer said. “This time, it was just so bad. But also, why are these women treating him like he raped someone? He’s not Bill Cosby; Kurt has never raped. What he was saying was horrific, and he was being a troll. He can be an Internet troll.”
She was frustrated by the backlash that hit her on behalf of Metzger.
“I was resentful of the lack of trust. Like, “Have I earned any good will with you guys? Do you believe that I feel that rape victims should be shamed on the internet?” Have I built up any sort of good will?”
On being called plus-sized.
Schumer was included in Glamour’s plus-size issue and had some serious qualms about it. “I think it’s unfortunate that we still live in a time and a country where normal isn’t good enough. The media body-shames women of healthy, normal sizes,” she said. “That’s why I spoke up about the plus-size thing. Because plus-size, unfortunately, still does have a negative connotation.”
The 2015 shooting during “Trainwreck”
Two women were shot and killed during a screening of Schumer’s film “Trainwreck” and the comedian said it crushed her. “I felt so powerless,” she said. “And it felt a little bit like something that I had done, that there was a connection to me actually hurting people.”
After the shooting, a text from Jennifer Lawrence provided a tiny amount of solace.
“She texted me, “It’s your fault.” And in times like that only jokes make you feel a little better.”
Thea Glassman is a Multimedia Fellow at the Forward. Reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter at @theakglassman.
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