Since its debut, "Girls" has received both rave reviews and some backlash, which was mainly regarding the lack of diversity amongst its characters. "Girls" star and creator Lena Dunham hasn't been shy about acknowledging the perceived problem, and in a new interview with The New York Times Magazine, Dunham jokes about her character making a new black friend next season.
HBO gave "Girls" a Season 2 order and "Community" star Donald Glover was spotted filming the new episodes with Dunham. In her interview with The New York Times Magazine Dunham was asked about the race issue again, although the Times interview does not mention Glover's casting.
When asked if Hannah's crew might make any new "friends of color," next season Dunham replied, "that would be bananas."
"I mean, it’s not going to be like, 'Hey guys, we've been out looking for a black friend or a friend in a wheelchair or a friend with a hat,'" she continued. "The tough thing is you kind of can't win on that one. I have to write people who feel honest but also push our cultural ball forward."
Dunham recently told NPR that she wanted to avoid "tokenism in casting." "Each character was a piece of me or based on someone close to me," she said. "And only later did I realize that it was four white girls."
In an interview with The Huffington Post before "Girls" premiered, Dunham said she would address the "white girl problems" aspect of the series. "When I get a tweet from a girl who's like, 'I'd love to watch the show, but I wish there were more women of color.' You know what? I do, too, and if we have the opportunity to do a second season, I'll address that," she said.
Judd Apatow, a co-executive producer on "Girls," echoed Dunham's statement in an interview with The Huffington Post. "The show will be on for a long time, so there's plenty of time to have every type of person on the show," he said.