Allison Williams Says Gen Z Is ‘Pro-Marnie’

Allison Williams reflected on the recent resurgence of Girls as a younger generation is discovering it, and she says that generation is “pro-Marnie,” the character she played whom she describes as “before her time.”

“My theory is what was coded as selfishness among Millennials is now coded as self-care and just being aware of what you need, and advocating for your needs and standing up for yourself,” she explained in a video for Vanity Fair with her Girls co-star Ebon Moss-Bachrach. “And so Gen Z is like, ‘No, we get her. She makes sense to us.”

But beyond Marnie, she says the criticism of the show at the time (2012-17) wasn’t deserved.

“The whole show got a lot of flack when it was airing for everyone being too selfish and self-centered and blah, blah, blah,” she said. Moss-Bachrach joked that the characters all displayed a “level of narcissism” that might be the “baseline” today, and that’s why Gen Z viewers find them relatable. Williams disagreed that Marnie and her friends were narcissistic.

“No! I actually think that it’s a bunch of girls trying to create the best environment for each of them to survive and thrive and being wrong, but like still trying and caring,” she responded. Furthermore, she thinks the possible narcissism was kind of the point.

“I think that’s a pursuit that is resonant in a new way, whereas before it just looked like we didn’t know that any other countries existed or that anyone had lives that were less fortunate than ours. But that was sort of the point—it just got missed a little bit.”

Not convinced, Moss-Bachrach doubled down: “It was massive narcissism. It’s insane self-involvement. But, I do, I think there’s something to that, too.”