Saagar Kote
In Netflix’s rom-com series ‘Too Much,’ a hardcore New Yorker named Jessica Salmon moves to London to restart her life and career after a heartbreaking ending to her relationship with her boyfriend, Zev. As the protagonist moves to the foreign city of London, she falls in love with a struggling musician named Felix Remen and falls into a deep zone of companionship, passion, and trust issues. The Lena Dunham and Luis Felber creation delves into the deepest parts of the human soul and delivers a poignant commentary on the need for romance and a sense of belonging with someone. The storyline also looks at the concept of love in the social media-obsessed mess of the modern world and the effects it can have on people. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Too Much is Partially Based on Real-Life Experiences of the Creators
The writers Lena Dunham, Monica Heisey, and Collier Meyerson based their script for ‘Too Much’ on Dunham’s eponymous novel. The story is partially based on the trials and tribulations of Lena when she, in her own life, moved to London and fell in love with a musician, Luis Felber (also one of the creators), who later became her husband. Though the story in the show is quite different, it has a general plot line that originates from the real-life experiences of the two creators. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Dunham said that the real-life romance between her and her husband was the germ that grew into the series. The writing, which drew from these experiences, makes the plot more authentic and not simply a rom-com trope.
The creator refused to call it ‘semi-autobiographical’ and stuck to her stance that her life is just a starting point for the show and not the entirety of it. She quoted, “A girl moves to England. She meets a musician. They fall in love. That was the exoskeleton. But then he’s such an amazing and creative thinker and loves stories, and so it really expanded far beyond what we had even dreamed it could be into a totally different world.” Though the show has real-life parallels, a majority of it comes from the creative minds of the writers, who have created their own world and their own characters, which differ from reality in myriad ways.
Although the approach seems too generalized, art did sometimes imitate life on the set of ‘Too Much.’ In an interview with Vanity Fair, Will Sharpe said he was surprised to see his character, Felix, wearing a jacket similar to one Lena Dunham’s husband, and co-creator, Luis Felber, owned in reality. Sharpe further explained, “Felix is a grunge musician like Lu is, and is mixed-race British. But I definitely felt in the writing of it, he necessarily becomes his own character.”
Several Parts of Lena Dunham’s Life Inspired the Creation of Jessica Salmon
Lena Dunham has openly discussed her struggles with drug addiction and serious illness. She also relocated from the US to London, where she found love. This runs parallel to the experience of Jessica Salmon in the show, who has a similar story of moving to a new city and then unexpectedly finding true love, while also experiencing drug-related issues in important moments throughout the narrative. Though it’s not clear exactly how much of the premise of the specific love story is taken from real-life incidents, presumably Dunham based a lot of moments on her lived experiences. In the narrative, the protagonist experiences some issues with her body and weight, especially her own insecurity about comparing herself to thinner girls.
In an interview with The Independent, Lena said that she, too, had experienced body-related issues. She also went on to say that when they started dating, she and her husband had too much in terms of baggage from the past, which is also true of Jessica and Felix. The two lead characters are challenged, not by society, but by their own souls. This makes it closer to the reality of Dunham and her husband, Luis Felber. In the same interview, Megan Stalter, who plays the role of Jessica, said that she felt connected to Lena Dunham. The casting of Megan in the lead role was also a commendable move because the actress had faced similar challenges related to body image in the industry and brought an authentic connection to the character she’s playing.
In an interview with the Guardian, Stalter said that for Jessica in the show, it is important to find someone who accepts her for what she is and to embrace all of her, which is exactly what Lena felt in real life. Bringing Jessica to life was an intimate undertaking for both Stalter and Dunham. Prior to filming, they had extensive discussions about the material and the latter’s personal experiences. The Jewish identities of the creator in real life and the lead character in the show also play a role in connecting the show to reality. Lena Dunham stated in a BBC interview that while the show shares superficial similarities with her own experiences, it is only around 5% autobiographical. She didn’t consider Jessica to be exactly like herself, and that the lead character was written with Megan Stalter in mind. The creativity of the writers is a major contribution in this particular context, especially in making the story relevant to the lead actress and the audience alike.
Before Jessica departs for London, the narrative offers a vivid depiction of her home life, showcasing her interactions with her sister Nora, her mother Lois, and her grandmother Dottie, whose name notably mirrors Dunham’s own grandmother. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Dunham stated, “I brought in pictures of my grandmother, of her outfits, of her house.” She went on to say that, “It was like the alternative version of reality, if my mom and grandma and I had just fully Grey Gardensed-in instead of expanding into the world—which could have happened, don’t get me wrong.” This adds a deeper layer of connection and relatability between real life and the drama series.
Read More: Where is Too Much Filmed?
