Lena Dunham Says She Feels ‘Protective’ of Taylor Swift in ‘Every Single Way’

Lena Dunham and Taylor Swift have been friends for over a decade, meaning the screenwriter has seen the pop star face  

That’s why the former feels extra cautious when it comes to safeguarding her longtime pal from intrusive people, she told The New Yorker in a Q&A published Tuesday (July 9). “I’m always very careful to be protective of her in every single way,” she told the publication. “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, but I will say that 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–k,” the Girls alum continued. “I guess my feeling sometimes is, ‘Isn’t she giving us enough, guys?'” 

The Golden Globe winner also reflected on the intense public scrutiny Swift faced earlier in her career, particularly in 2014 at what was then the peak of her fame. At the time, the “Anti-Hero” singer started to receive criticism for her large friend group — dubbed “The Squad,” of which Dunham was a part – on top of speculation about her dating life that she’d already been experiencing for years. 

“She was having the exact experience that is standard for a woman in their twenties, which is finding who your people are,” Dunham recalled. “But there was just an examination of it that was so microscopic, and a set of standards that were so outlandish.” 

Elsewhere in the interview, the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star said she’s trying to catch an Eras Tour show in London after previously seeing the show in Boston and Pittsburgh — “It’s my church,” she joked – and revealed which of Swift’s eras is her favorite. 

“If you’re going to be misunderstood, why not take it all the way?” Dunham said. “I think that’s one of the reasons why Reputation is my favorite Taylor era, because it’s so much about ‘If you’re not going to see me, if you’re going to so refuse to understand what’s in front of you and what I’m trying to say, then why don’t I just put on a black catsuit and move it all the way over to villain mode?”  

“Even since before Taylor and I were friends, I just always had felt such a deep connection to her music,” she added.  

Swift and Dunham’s friendship dates back to 2012, when the pair connected over Twitter after the latter tweeted that the former’s Red album was “triumphant.” Two years later, the actress joined the 14-time Grammy winner onstage during her 1989 World Tour.

In 2021, Swift was a bridesmaid in Dunham’s wedding to British-Peruvian musician Luis Felber.

“I’ve been obsessed with Taylor Swift since her first song,” Dunham gushed in a 2014 interview. “‘Teardrops on My Guitar’ was the first one I became familiar with, but I think she’s been a fully formed creative voice since she was 15 and really does sing my story.”