Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Too Much’ follows the story of a New Yorker, named Jessica, who moves to London after a breakup that shatters her heart. She expects the new country to be just like it is in the romance movies she loves, but when she meets Felix, love turns out to be a different beast in itself. The series is created by Lena Dunham and Luis Felber (who also provided music for the show), whose dynamic seems to be reflected in Jess and Felix’s relationship. It is clear that the duo has used autobiographical elements in the story, but the narrative delves deeper into its core themes due to its fictional aspects. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Felix is Loosely Based on Musician Luis Felber
‘Too Much’ is a fictional rendering of Lena Dunham and Luis Felber’s real-life romance, and in several ways, Felix’s character is shaped around Felber’s persona. The Peruvian-British musician has been married to the ‘Girls’ star since 2021, and Jess and Felix’s relationship reflects a lot of their real-life experiences. Much like Jess, Dunham had a breakup with music producer Jack Antonoff in late 2017. While her personal life was in shambles, she was also going through a professional change after having dissolved her production company, which she founded with Jenni Konner.
Dunham moved to London for a few months while working on a project and seemingly had no intention of putting down roots in the place. But three weeks into her move, she met Felber, and sparks flew between them. Like Jess and Felix connect with each other immediately and engage in conversations that keep them up all night, Dunham and Felber also poured their hearts out to each other, talking for hours and hours on end. This connection brought such escalation in their relationship that four months later, they were engaged, and seven months later, they were married at an intimate ceremony at Soho Union Club.
When crafting the show, Dunham and Felber picked the aspect of her being a fish out of water in London. Much like Jess, Dunham has a vibrant personality, and one time, Felber called her “too much.” However, he meant it in a good way, as a term of endearment. His words were “just enough and a little bit more,” and this line and feeling found their way into the show, where Felix says the same thing to Jess. There are several other things that the duo picked up from their own experiences to present a more realistic depiction of love and romance in the modern world. However, they refrain from calling the show a by-the-letter adaptation of their real-life romance.
Felix’s Character Evolved in a Different Direction from Luis Felber’s Life Story
While Luis Felber served as the inspiration for Felix, the latter still remains largely fictional. Felix is half-Japanese, while Felber is half-Peruvian. Felix and Jess meet at a grimy pub, while Dunham and Felber were set up on a blind date, which went exceedingly well for them. In the show, Felix’s family situation is tricky, and his relationship with his parents is fraught, to say the least. In real life, Felber has a more amicable connection with his parents. Moreover, his mother had been a fan of ‘Girls,’ the show that established the multi-hyphenated artist as a “voice of a generation,” and she bonded easily with her daughter-in-law. Dunham also developed a great relationship with Felber’s father.
In the time that Jess and Felix are still feeling out the kinks of their relationship, Dunham and Felber’s relationship soared to the point where, four weeks into their relationship, she had proposed a creative collaboration between them. Having recognised his talent for storytelling, she asked him to work on the show with her, and this strengthened their bond even more. She noted that his insights added more nuance, and he was also responsible for the Britishness of the story and the characters. His experience as an indie musician was infused in Felix and brought significant depth and development to his character.
When actor Will Sharpe came on board, he brought his own twist to the role of Felix. He confessed to seeing similarities between the character and Felber, so much that one day, he realised that one of the jackets in Felix’s wardrobe was similar to the one that Felber had. He recognised Felber’s signature in the character, but simultaneously, he could see that Felix was his own person. As a writer and director himself, Sharpe’s insights were welcomed, and they significantly influenced Felix’s story arc in the show. By the end of the day, the similarities between Felber and Felix had significantly thinned, though the two could be said to have been cut from the same cloth. All in all, while Felix is inspired by Luis Felber, his storyline and key character points remain largely fictional.
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