Jon Bernthal; Lena Dunham.Photo: Tommaso Boddi/Getty; Tommaso Boddi/GettyLena Dunhamis singingJon Bernthal’s praises for his on-set demeanor in their movieSharp Stick.Dunham, 36, wrote and directed the film, which hits theaters Friday and stars herself alongside Bernthal, 45 — the latter playing a man having an affair with a younger woman (Kristine Froseth) while his wife (Dunham) is pregnant.In an interview withWmagazinepublished Tuesday, Dunham said of her costar, “I have to give credit to Jon Bernthal — I always joke that he should give a class on how to be a man in a sex scene.““He is so gentle and so thoughtful, he could literally have a side hustle as an intimacy coordinator,” theGirlscreator added.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.Sharp Stick(2022).Courtesy Image"I feel like there’s always been this anxiety I’ve had with directing men, this fear that I wouldn’t be strong enough or tough enough or show them what a boss I was,” she also said. “I feel a lot of female directors have this self-consciousness about being able to match or show up to the way the guys do it. Jon let me be exactly the director that I am; he heard me and I didn’t have to be loud, scary, or dominate.““He was coming right off the set ofKing Richardand he could have been so tired. Instead, he just held us all up,” the actress and filmmaker continued. “I used to joke that if I could direct shows with only women in them, I would. And now, I love directing men because [with] Jon, I didn’t have to yell through a megaphone.“Asked if there were specific challenges she faced makingSharp Stickthat she hadn’t had in her career before, Dunham said, “I knew the ways I’d felt,even when I was directingmyself — overexposed, or scared, or not seen. I worked with an amazing crew onGirls, but sometimes just the fact of having to enact these scenes, even though I wrote them, was anxiety-inducing under the best circumstances.““Now, at 35, all I wanted was to create an environment that allowed people to talk about sexuality that was actually safe,” she toldW.Sharp Stickmarks Dunham’s first big-screen directorial project since 2010’sTiny Furniture, in which she also appeared alongside a cast including herGirlscostarJemima Kirke.At the film’sLos Angeles premierelast month, Dunham told PEOPLE thatScott Speedman, who plays a porn star in the film, was “such a joy” on set, adding, “And what I love is that his character, despite having this toughness, women have responded and are really saying that his character makes him feel really safe. That was the goal.“Speedman, 46, said that although he loved the script, the role “scared” him initially — but he ultimately decided to do the movie after having a conversation with Dunham.“Once she really talked me through, then it all made sense to me and I wanted to jump in and do it,” the actor told PEOPLE. “Five or six years ago, I probablywould’ve been scared off from doing this. But I had a blast doing it.“Sharp Stickis in theaters Friday, and hits streaming platforms on Aug. 16.
Jon Bernthal; Lena Dunham.Photo: Tommaso Boddi/Getty; Tommaso Boddi/Getty
Lena Dunhamis singingJon Bernthal’s praises for his on-set demeanor in their movieSharp Stick.Dunham, 36, wrote and directed the film, which hits theaters Friday and stars herself alongside Bernthal, 45 — the latter playing a man having an affair with a younger woman (Kristine Froseth) while his wife (Dunham) is pregnant.In an interview withWmagazinepublished Tuesday, Dunham said of her costar, “I have to give credit to Jon Bernthal — I always joke that he should give a class on how to be a man in a sex scene.““He is so gentle and so thoughtful, he could literally have a side hustle as an intimacy coordinator,” theGirlscreator added.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.Sharp Stick(2022).Courtesy Image"I feel like there’s always been this anxiety I’ve had with directing men, this fear that I wouldn’t be strong enough or tough enough or show them what a boss I was,” she also said. “I feel a lot of female directors have this self-consciousness about being able to match or show up to the way the guys do it. Jon let me be exactly the director that I am; he heard me and I didn’t have to be loud, scary, or dominate.““He was coming right off the set ofKing Richardand he could have been so tired. Instead, he just held us all up,” the actress and filmmaker continued. “I used to joke that if I could direct shows with only women in them, I would. And now, I love directing men because [with] Jon, I didn’t have to yell through a megaphone.“Asked if there were specific challenges she faced makingSharp Stickthat she hadn’t had in her career before, Dunham said, “I knew the ways I’d felt,even when I was directingmyself — overexposed, or scared, or not seen. I worked with an amazing crew onGirls, but sometimes just the fact of having to enact these scenes, even though I wrote them, was anxiety-inducing under the best circumstances.““Now, at 35, all I wanted was to create an environment that allowed people to talk about sexuality that was actually safe,” she toldW.Sharp Stickmarks Dunham’s first big-screen directorial project since 2010’sTiny Furniture, in which she also appeared alongside a cast including herGirlscostarJemima Kirke.At the film’sLos Angeles premierelast month, Dunham told PEOPLE thatScott Speedman, who plays a porn star in the film, was “such a joy” on set, adding, “And what I love is that his character, despite having this toughness, women have responded and are really saying that his character makes him feel really safe. That was the goal.“Speedman, 46, said that although he loved the script, the role “scared” him initially — but he ultimately decided to do the movie after having a conversation with Dunham.“Once she really talked me through, then it all made sense to me and I wanted to jump in and do it,” the actor told PEOPLE. “Five or six years ago, I probablywould’ve been scared off from doing this. But I had a blast doing it.“Sharp Stickis in theaters Friday, and hits streaming platforms on Aug. 16.
Lena Dunhamis singingJon Bernthal’s praises for his on-set demeanor in their movieSharp Stick.
Dunham, 36, wrote and directed the film, which hits theaters Friday and stars herself alongside Bernthal, 45 — the latter playing a man having an affair with a younger woman (Kristine Froseth) while his wife (Dunham) is pregnant.
In an interview withWmagazinepublished Tuesday, Dunham said of her costar, “I have to give credit to Jon Bernthal — I always joke that he should give a class on how to be a man in a sex scene.”
“He is so gentle and so thoughtful, he could literally have a side hustle as an intimacy coordinator,” theGirlscreator added.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.
Sharp Stick(2022).Courtesy Image
“I feel like there’s always been this anxiety I’ve had with directing men, this fear that I wouldn’t be strong enough or tough enough or show them what a boss I was,” she also said. “I feel a lot of female directors have this self-consciousness about being able to match or show up to the way the guys do it. Jon let me be exactly the director that I am; he heard me and I didn’t have to be loud, scary, or dominate.”
“He was coming right off the set ofKing Richardand he could have been so tired. Instead, he just held us all up,” the actress and filmmaker continued. “I used to joke that if I could direct shows with only women in them, I would. And now, I love directing men because [with] Jon, I didn’t have to yell through a megaphone.”
Asked if there were specific challenges she faced makingSharp Stickthat she hadn’t had in her career before, Dunham said, “I knew the ways I’d felt,even when I was directingmyself — overexposed, or scared, or not seen. I worked with an amazing crew onGirls, but sometimes just the fact of having to enact these scenes, even though I wrote them, was anxiety-inducing under the best circumstances.”
“Now, at 35, all I wanted was to create an environment that allowed people to talk about sexuality that was actually safe,” she toldW.
Sharp Stickmarks Dunham’s first big-screen directorial project since 2010’sTiny Furniture, in which she also appeared alongside a cast including herGirlscostarJemima Kirke.
At the film’sLos Angeles premierelast month, Dunham told PEOPLE thatScott Speedman, who plays a porn star in the film, was “such a joy” on set, adding, “And what I love is that his character, despite having this toughness, women have responded and are really saying that his character makes him feel really safe. That was the goal.”
Speedman, 46, said that although he loved the script, the role “scared” him initially — but he ultimately decided to do the movie after having a conversation with Dunham.
“Once she really talked me through, then it all made sense to me and I wanted to jump in and do it,” the actor told PEOPLE. “Five or six years ago, I probablywould’ve been scared off from doing this. But I had a blast doing it.”
Sharp Stickis in theaters Friday, and hits streaming platforms on Aug. 16.
source: people.com
