Not way back, Megan Stalter — star of Lena Dunham’s new Netflix romantic comedy sequence, “Too A lot” — was nonetheless hustling to make a reputation for herself in comedy.
After leaving Ohio within the mid-2010s to pursue an leisure profession, Stalter did stand-up, improv, and different stage work in Chicago till she discovered an early dose of fame on social media, posting video parodies of cringe ladies — together with a memorable butter entrepreneur who’s opening line was “Hello, homosexual!” It didn’t take lengthy for her to parlay her varied pursuits, together with an online sequence known as “The Megan Stalter Present,” right into a breakout half on HBO’s “Hacks,” cameos in tasks like Julio Torres’ “Problemista,” and different enviable onscreen roles. Her comparatively quick highway to fame, nevertheless, was windy sufficient for her to study that, no matter medium she was working in, her true ardour was to entertain.
“After I was a child, I at all times needed to be an actor. And once I determined that that’s what I used to be going to go for, I discovered improv and stand-up as a door into performing, after which fell in love with that,” Stalter informed IndieWire forward of the “Too A lot” sequence premiere on July 10. “I simply assume I really like performing a lot and can at all times do it.”
Stalter added that she appreciates how every part of her profession — from staging offbeat comedy exhibits to posting humorous movies on social media and dealing on a number of the greatest sequence in recent times — has introduced out one thing distinctive in her as a performer.
“Each single chapter of my profession has modified me. I used to be a special performer earlier than ‘Hacks,’ and now I’m a special performer after ‘Too A lot.’ And I feel it’s so cool that we are able to change in our careers, in the way in which that we carry out, like that,” she stated.
“It’s even enjoyable to consider being again in Chicago and doing reside stuff. There was a chapter the place I used to be doing, like, bizarre burlesque stuff at stand-up exhibits. It was comedy, however I used to be at all times in my bra, spraying whipped cream on myself,” she continued with a trilling snort.
The Cleveland native who now lives in Los Angeles might have come a great distance from entertaining on Midwest phases in her undergarments, however there are actually remnants of that performer in her onscreen roles. In “Hacks,” Stalter’s Kayla, a chaotic nepo child with a coronary heart of gold, steals the present along with her off-the-wall feedback and frequent passes at her coworker Jimmy (Paul W. Downs). And in “Too A lot,” her character, Jess, has each vulnerability and awkward allure that instantly draw others in — along with usually showing in high-waist underwear that Stalter handpicked. Although, she’s additionally very clearly Dunham-esque.
“Me Too,” which is a dream gig for Stalter as a longtime fan of “Ladies,” is loosely based mostly on Dunham’s love story along with her now-husband Luis Felber, a British musician whom she met after shifting to the U.Ok. in 2021. Taking a web page from Dunham — who had a breakup of types with New York and TV performing after six demanding seasons of her hit sequence — Jess strikes to London to jump-start her stalled profession in manufacturing and discover a recent begin after a messy cut up along with her live-in boyfriend (Michael Zegen). Virtually instantly, she falls for a troubled musician named Felix (Will Sharpe) and will get swept up in a world populated by stylish exes and rich, rudderless Londoners. And he or she out of the blue finds herself with a brand new life that’s nearly busy sufficient to distract her from what’s happening again at residence along with her ex and his new girlfriend, Wendy Jones (Emily Ratajkowski).
Whereas navigating her new actuality, Jess typically finds herself in uncomfortable or embarrassing conditions, that are well-suited to Stalter’s model of comedy and her background in improv. Significantly when enjoying reverse Sharpe (“The White Lotus”), the comic demonstrates her expertise for creating a personality who’s relatable and outlandish, endearing however painful to look at — not in contrast to Dunham, who performs Jess’ sister within the new sequence, again in “Ladies.”
“One of many issues that I do so much, which I really feel like comes simple to me, is enjoying somebody that’s actually assured and nervous on the similar time,” Stalter stated of Dunham encouraging the actors to improvise uncomfortable moments between Felix and Jess, citing a scene involving a very awkward kiss. “Improvising an embarrassing second comes most pure to me.”
Like “Ladies,” “Tiny Furnishings,” and different tasks from Dunham, “Too A lot” takes melancholic turns, with often extra critical blow-ups between the lead characters — together with one struggle that Stalter stated “felt actually unhappy and peculiar and scary” to movie given the normally jovial surroundings on set. Throughout these scenes, Stalter stated, she leaned extra closely on Dunham, who would assist her faucet into a number of the extra critical points of the sequence’ protagonist.
“She helped me entry no matter I couldn’t within the second,” Stalter stated, explaining that she’d often battle to get into the character’s mindset due to a protracted day, little sleep the evening earlier than, or not having the ability to relate. “If I simply linked along with her earlier than the scene, I used to be proper there. If I talked to her, then I might cry in each shot.
“I feel that it simply exhibits her expertise as a director to have the ability to join with me like that,” she added, relaying that from their first assembly, she felt as if she had recognized Dunham without end — though it felt “surreal” to truly share a set with the multihyphenate.
Although “Too A lot” isn’t a purely gentle watch, even the heavier moments within the present elicit a smirk or a minimum of a number of laughs, because of Dunham’s wry humorousness, Sharpe and Stalter’s deliveries, and a star-studded supporting solid that includes a number of the most versatile American, British, and European actors within the biz.
Richard E. Grant performs Jess’ London boss who hosts drug-fueled gatherings for the workers with the assistance of his spouse, performed by Naomi Watts. Adèle Exarchopoulos offers a hilarious flip as one in all a number of exes named Polly who make up Felix’s circle. Rhea Perlman and Rita Wilson seem as Jess’ extremely opinionated, codependent mom and grandmother. Even Andrew Scott exhibits as much as play a self-serious director whose serial dishonest has caught up with him. And Stalter, no stranger to starring alongside big-name actors after 4 seasons of “Hacks,” performs off them like a seasoned professional — all whereas, as she places it within the press notes, being “bizarre and goofy” and “misbehaving” on set.
“I really feel like it’s simply a part of my character: In highschool, I didn’t get half within the play, however I’d be actually humorous backstage and too loud throughout rehearsal,” Stalter stated, reviewing her favourite moments from filming, which included working alongside Scott, whom she compares to her beloved “Hacks” co-star Downs, and Exarchopoulos, whom she describes as intuitively humorous and the type of cool that’s solely seen in films.
“However I additionally assume I’m simply so excited and glad to be there. From the second I used to be, like, ‘I’m going to maneuver out of Ohio and do comedy full time,’ each a part of it has been a dream. I’d be, like, ‘I can’t imagine I’m in improv class. I’m so excited to be right here.’ And that power, I feel, makes you mischievous and naughty in a great way,” she stated, giving a devious smile.
There are various extra unbelievable and naughty moments to return in Stalter’s profession, to make certain. However for the second, she’s nonetheless basking within the glow of starring reverse the likes of Dunham, Scott, Exarchopoulos, and the remainder of the “Too A lot” solid and maintaining her expectations for what comes subsequent moderately low.
“I simply, initially, wish to hold going. My purpose has at all times been to put in writing stuff that I’m in. And I actually would like to be in one thing type of scary. I imply, after all, all people needs to be in ‘The White Lotus,’” the actor stated, including that she’d be very happy to tackle a humorous horror movie if Mike White doesn’t come knocking. “I feel that’d be so cool.”
“Too A lot” premieres on Netflix July 10.