Why Rhea Perlman was 'scared' on Lena Dunham's 'Too Much'
Hollywood veteran Rhea Perlman doubted herself — and often — while filming Lena Dunham's new Netflix show, 'Too Much.'
'There was a lot of improv we had to do. I had never done improv, so that was scary to me,' Perlman, 77, exclusively told The Post.
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5 Rhea Perlman and Rita Wilson in an episode of 'Too Much.'
Netflix
The 'Matilda' actress added, 'I called Lena at night a couple of times, like 'Lena, I don't think I should have said what I said in that scene – it was a bit over the top.''
In response, Dunham would reassure her that she wouldn't use material that didn't work.
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Created by Dunham and her husband, Luis Felber, 'Too Much' follows Jessica (Megan Stalter), a New Yorker who moves to London and finds a romantic connection with Felix (Will Sharpe, 'The White Lotus.').
5 Rhea Perlman at the Hollywood Legion on May 1, 2025.
Jesse Grant/Peacock via Getty Images
Perlman plays Megan's grandmother, Dottie, Dunham plays her sister, Nora, and Rita Wilson plays her mom, Lois.
Despite having a long and storied career, Perlman said that 'Too Much' is 'much more risqué than a lot of things' she's done before.
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'Meg and Lena, they're both so free with their bodies,' she explained. 'Life is different now in the world. Women can be so much freer, and be beautiful. I didn't get to do that, but I did get to be part of it.'
5 Megan Stalter in 'Too Much.'
Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection
The Emmy-winning actress wanted to do 'Too Much' because she's a 'huge fan of Lena Dunham.'
'I watched every episode of 'Girls,'' she told The Post. 'I think everyone I know did!'
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Perlman, who shares two children and three grandchildren with Danny DeVito, 80 – who she is separated from but has no plans to divorce – added that she 'loved the idea of being a grandmother, because now I am a grandmother.'
5 Megan Stalter and Lena Dunham in 'Too Much.'
Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection
'[Dottie is] a very different grandmother than I am, and my grandmother was. This grandmother I play is very modern, like an open book grandmother. She talks to her granddaughter about sex,' she explained.
'That is something I would never have heard from my grandmother. And, although I might talk to my grandchildren about sex at some point, they're too young for me to say that now.'
The 'Cheers' alum also made waves in the 2023 'Barbie' movie, playing Ruth Handler, the creator of the iconic doll.
5 Rhea Perlman at Peacock's 'Poker Face' Season 2 Los Angeles Premiere held at The Hollywood Legion on May 1, 2025.
Variety via Getty Images
She quipped that she doesn't know if there will be a sequel because, 'I can't say I hang out' with Margot Robbie or Greta Gerwig.
But, the role was 'a gift.'
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'I'm so delighted that I was part of it. It came out to be one of the greatest movies ever. It'll be as iconic as 'Matilda,'' she gushed. 'People come up to me on the street now, young girls walking with their parents, asking 'aren't you Barbie's mother?' That's how they see it.'
Perlman said that movies kids love, such as 'Matilda' and 'Barbie,' are 'something that lives forever.'
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San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
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Boston Globe
3 hours ago
- Boston Globe
The Emmy nominations are here. ‘Severance,' ‘The White Lotus,' and ‘Adolescence' could have a big day.
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Tom's Guide
3 hours ago
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6 top new movies to stream this week on Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu and more (July 15-21)
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