In a candid revelation, acclaimed writer and director Lena Dunham has credited global pop sensation Taylor Swift for playing a pivotal role in casting one of Meg Ryan, Hollywood’s most iconic actresses in her next film. The upcoming Netflix feature, Good Sex, will star Natalie Portman as a couple’s therapist who finds herself navigating the dating world again after a long-term relationship ends. But it’s the casting of a beloved romantic comedy legend that has the internet buzzing — and Swift might just be the unexpected hero behind it all.
A serendipitous encounter at the Eras Tour
Dunham revealed that the breakthrough moment happened during Taylor Swift’s 2024 Eras Tour stop in London. While attending the show, she had a chance encounter with Ryan and seized the opportunity to pitch her the role.
“I decided, it’s now or never, and I’m going to shoot my shot,” Lena Dunham shared in an interview with Variety. “She couldn’t be a lovelier person.”
The filmmaker didn’t hold back from expressing her gratitude to Swift, whose concert served as the perfect backdrop for the conversation.
“Shout-out Taylor — thank you for that,” Dunham added. “She brings everyone together; she makes the world go ’round.”
A decade-long friendship with Taylor Swift
Dunham and Swift share a long-standing friendship that has extended beyond the screen. From appearing in Swift’s 2015 “Bad Blood” music video to having the Grammy-winning singer as a bridesmaid at her wedding in 2021, their bond is both personal and professional.
Speaking to The New Yorker previously, Lena Dunham noted how protective she feels of Taylor Swift. “Probably the two things I get asked most in life are ‘What is Taylor like?’ and ‘Can I have tickets to the Eras Tour?’ And usually my answer to both things is no,” she laughed, before adding, “She’s everything that you would want her to be. She’s kind, she’s devoted, she’s introspective, she’s emotional, she’s funny as f***.”
That mutual admiration may have just resulted in a casting coup for Dunham’s latest cinematic venture — one that reunites audiences with a screen legend in a fresh, meaningful role.