You may know Meg Stalter as the fabulous flop assistant-turned-partner Kayla on Hacks, from her recent appearances in films like Problemista, or for her impressive comedy career (“Hi, gay,” anyone?), but it’s guaranteed that you’ll see a whole new side of her in Too Much, the new rom-com series from Lena Dunham and her husband, Luis Felber, that hits Netflix on July 10.
In Dunham’s highest-profile (and most autobiographical) TV project since Girls, Stalter stars as the riotous, shimmeringly vulnerable Jessica, a New York-to-London transplant attempting to forge a real bond with sweet, sexy, capital-T Troubled indie musician Felix (Will Sharpe).
Vogue recently spoke to Stalter immersing herself in London’s floral and theater scene, playing pranks on Sharpe, and loving Julia Roberts. That conversation has been edited and condensed.
Vogue: What has life been like for you lately, between filming Too Much and Hacks?
Megan Stalter: It’s been so exciting. I think it’s so crazy that the show’s coming out, because it was a year ago that we filmed it. Hacks being on its fourth season and then this coming out just feels like such a cool moment; we’ve worked so hard on the show, and it just was so much fun. When I look at pictures from filming Too Much, I’m just like, “Wow, I look so happy.”
What did you think of Jessica when you first read the Too Much script?
I just thought it was so cool to imagine this character that you don’t always get to see onscreen because she’s kind of chaotic and big and exciting and emotional and sensitive but in, like, a really realistic way. I really related to her and had so much fun imagining her with Lena.
What was it like working with Lena Dunham and Luis Felber on this show that’s not not about their love story?
Lena is just so amazing and was so collaborative and let us make the characters our own. I just wanted to put as much of myself and Lena together into this character as I could, but she’s also this completely different person that we created together. Will and I really wanted to capture the feeling of Lena and Lu as a couple, rather than doing an impression of them; I definitely related to Lena in terms of falling in love with someone who’s different, and loving those differences.
What was it like entering into this big onscreen romance with Will Sharpe?
He’s just so fun and easy to work with and so funny. He has more of a weird sense of humor than I thought, because I just didn’t know him, and I have such a weird sense of humor. It was really fun, and we’re very silly together, and I just felt like he made me really comfortable. When you’re working with an actor [for the first time], you don’t know if they’re going to be loving this loud comedian who’s joking around in between scenes or not, and he definitely did. We did a lot of pranks; I would tell everyone, “Will just said something really mean to me” when he absolutely didn’t, which I thought was very funny.
What was the most surprising part of filming this show for you?
Well, the hardest part was definitely being away from home, because it was a long time in London. I missed my girlfriend so much, and my animals, and just being home. I think the most surprising part, though, is that it felt like Lena just made it so comfortable for me to carry the show. I was intimidated when I got there, but Lena made me feel so confident and supported, so that was kind of a surprise, in that it didn’t feel as scary as I thought it would because of how amazing she is.
How long were you shooting in London?
We were there for about four and a half months. We filmed a little in New York, but only a couple of days.
What was your relationship to London before Too Much?
I love to travel and be in a new place and kind of experience what it would be like to live there. I’d only been to London once before the show, and it was to perform stand-up at the Soho Theatre and do 11 shows in a row. I was so attached to the theater and the experience that I was, like, crying when I left. My brother came with me, and it was so exciting. I don’t think I romanticize London the way Jessica does, but I did find it to be very special and even better than I thought it would be.
What were your favorite things to do in London?
I definitely experienced being in London primarily through the show, and on the weekends I was so exhausted, but I stayed in Shoreditch and every Sunday, the street next to the house I was in would have this huge flower market. It just felt so London. I was pretty much just in that small area of Shoreditch, but we got to film in so many cool places on the show; the animal farm they go to in one of the episodes was just down the street from the area I was living in.
Is there anything you particularly miss about London?
Well, when I was first there, my friend took me to a very strange interactive theater. You’re walking through but it’s not an escape room, although I guess I’d say London does have a lot of theater and escape rooms. It was this very cool sort of dungeon/chamber vibe that was kind of scary.
Have you ever moved somewhere to restart your life, Jessica-style?
I’ve moved and restarted a couple times in my life, but it wasn’t about relationships, it was always career stuff. I moved to Chicago to do improv and stand-up, I moved to New York to do stand-up, and then everything I’ve done took me to LA. I only knew one person in Chicago when I moved there, and then I made so many best friends that I still have today. It’s kind of like going to comedy college, to move there in your 20s.
Do you have a favorite ’90s or aughts rom-com?
Oh God, I love rom-coms so much. I mean, I feel like I keep talking about Bridget Jones. Before we filmed the show, I feel like I was watching, like, Notting Hill. Anything with Julia Roberts. And, of course, 10 Things I Hate About You. That’s a rom-com, right?
This conversation has been edited and condensed.
