Taylor Swift has added many strings to her bow over the years – from directing music videos to reportedly penning an original TV show script – but the latest addition to the popstar’s CV has something to do with Lena Dunham’s new Netflix show, Too Much. According to the Girls creator, Taylor was pivotal in making one of the series’ key scenes happen.
In a highly emotional scene durning the season one finale, Lena brilliantly utilised her pal Taylor’s 2022 song Bigger Than the Whole Sky to accompany the protagonist’s double loss: a break-up with her boyfriend, and the death of her dog. Turns out, though, the heart-wrenching scene was supposed to be set to a completely different Taylor track.
“I’m always listening to [Taylor] when I write — I mean, like 99.9% of America, I’m just always listening to her,” Lena told USA Today. “Originally, that was actually a different song and it was something that had been used in another film fairly recently. She watched the sequence and so did her brother, Austin, who is amazing and does all of her music placement. So she said, ‘Actually, I think I know what should be here.'”
While Lena loved the idea of having Bigger Than the Whole Sky in the episode, she was concerned that they’d have to do a whole lot of editing to make it work. But, in the end, “we did not have to move a frame,” she revealed.
“That song just said everything that had to be said about their relationship, about her relationship to her dog – I mean, it’s one of my absolute favourite moments in the show, and one of my absolute favourite moments I’ve ever had the chance to film,” Lena continued. “It’s my first time actually getting to use a T.S. song in my work, and besides the amazing music that my husband put together for the show, it’s everything I could’ve dreamed of. I couldn’t feel luckier that she let us use it.”
Lena was surrounded by loved ones when bringing Too Much to life: her husband Luis Felber co-created the series, and she and Taylor have been close friends for many years. The popstar was even a bridesmaid at Lena’s 2021 wedding, which is really saying something.
Too Much is streaming on Netflix right now, and stars Megan Stalter (Hacks) and Will Sharpe (The White Lotus, A Real Pain).