Judd Apatow and Lena Dunham Talk Sex, the City and 'Girls'

Alison Willmore: How was the experience of working with other writers?

Lena Dunham: When we did our first table read, people laughed, but I said to Judd "Is that how a table read's supposed to go?" He said "Yeah, it's good... People could have laughed a little bit more." We all went into a room and talked for three days.

I'd thought my script was done, but what we came out with was something that was infinitely funnier and more alive. My favorite moments in the pilot come from those three days. I finally understood the benefits of doing something in a collaborative way — that really taught me how to use the writers room.

Judd Apatow: Also, a staff is a good resource for crazy life experiences. At some point, you run out of dumb things you've done.

LD: Especially when you're making a TV show -- you don't have much time to do dumb things.

JA: So it's eight people with an enormous amount of stories. When we hired the staff, we talked a lot about hiring people who've lived and who have a lot of tales to tell, because we felt that's what the show was about.

Judd Apatow and Lena Dunham Talk Sex, the City and 'Girls' / BY Alison Willmore  / MARCH 20, 2012