“Girls” always seems to surge back into the cultural conversation, particularly since Lena Dunham’s new series “Too Much” premiered on Netflix earlier this month. In the near-decade since “Girls” aired its HBO finale, its cast has gone on to become film and TV stalwarts. Among the most prolific, of course, is Andrew Rannells — who appeared with Dunham on “Too Much,” giving fans the Hannah and Elijah reunion they were waiting for.
“Too Much” might’ve been the latest project pairing Dunham and Rannells, but it was far from the first. Actually, according to none other than Judd Apatow — “Girls” executive producer (among other things) — we now know exactly what the first scene they shot together was… and it’s a biggie.
In the scene — from way back in 2012 — Hannah and Elijah, her former college boyfriend, have a contentious (and hilarious) conversation about Elijah’s sexuality, focusing on how much more queer-coded he has gotten since coming out and how he believes her father is also gay. The “Girls Rewatch” podcast posted the scene, and it has since gone viral — so viral, in fact, that both Rannells and Apatow commented, with the latter revealing a nice nugget of trivia.
“Andrew’s first day at work,” Apatow wrote. “Remarkable. Both of them so in the pocket it’s ridiculous.”
Rannells meanwhile said simply, “You all are the best.”
“Too Much” had brought Dunham renewed success. Rannells is but one of many fun guest stars and cameos littered throughout the series. At Tribeca in June, Dunham told the audience (via THR) that she “always try to write with somebody in mind.”
“It just helps me when I’m writing, and usually it’s somebody either that I admire or somebody that I already have a really great collaborative relationship with, and then you just kind of write them,” she said. “And my goal is always: I love this person, so what is going to get them to come do a role, a couple episodes in a half-hour TV show like this?”
Dunham also has the Netflix romcom “Good Sex” on the horizon, boasting a cast that includes Natalie Portman, Meg Ryan, Mark Ruffalo, and Rashida Jones.
Rannells, meanwhile, recently appeared in the horror comedy “I Don’t Understand You,” now available to stream.
Dunham has also teased a possible “Girls” revival, which you can read all about here.
Watch a hilarious “Too Much” scene with Dunham and Rannells below.