Allison Williams had to get “Stronger” to play Marnie. The actress recently detailed a cut storyline that involved her love-to-be-hated “Girls” character working as a SoulCycle instructor. “Girls” aired on HBO for six seasons, from 2012 to 2017, with creator Lena Dunham, Jemima Kirke, Zosia Mamet, and Adam Driver co-starring.
“Sometimes, in the process of writing a season of a show, the plans change,” Williams said during Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang’s “Las Culturistas” podcast, as reported by EW. “Marnie was a SoulCycle instructor for a season and that ended up getting cut out of the show.”
Williams added, “Listen, I was devastated. I trained, I went to, like, double classes at the SoulCycle in New York City.”
“M3GAN 2.0” star Williams previously reflected on her legacy as Marnie to VF. “The whole show got a lot of flak when it was airing for everyone being too selfish and self-centered,” Williams said, citing how audiences have perceived Marnie differently over the years. “My theory is, what was coded as selfishness among millennials is now coded as self-care. Just being aware of what you need and advocating for your needs and standing up for yourself, and so Gen Z, is like, ‘No, we get her. She [Marnie] makes sense to us.’”
Williams isn’t the only “Girls” alum to share how the series has impacted her. “Girls” creator Dunham told The Times that she opted to stay out of the spotlight as an actor after the series wrapped. “I always joke that I need a T-shirt that says, ‘I survived New York media in 2012 and all I got was this lousy T-shirt.’ And all I got was this lousy PTSD,” Dunham said. “I didn’t really understand how to distinguish between what was and wasn’t necessary for the public. I felt confused about how I was supposed to respond. I thought if I explain properly who I am, or give a glimpse of who I am, people are going to have a different perception of me, that we would be friends. But no one cares — and that’s fine.”