Allison Williams Says Girls Character Resonates 'In a New Way' With Gen Z Audience

Allison Williams spoke about the series, in a sit-down with her former co-star, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, for Vanity Fair, and the way it's resonating with new audiences today.

"The whole show got a lot of flack when it was airing for everyone being too selfish and self-centered," said Williams, who played one of four New York City-based protagonists on the HBO series, which ran for six seasons from 2012 to 2017.

And it's not just the show. Her character has found a special place among the Gen Z crowd, who she said are embracing Marnie after she was originally dismissed as overly cringeworthy and annoying.

That shift, Williams said, is in part because her character was "before her time."

"My theory is, what was coded as selfishness among Millennials is now coded as self-care," Williams told Moss-Bachrach who played Desi, Marnie's musician boyfriend-turned-husband-turned-ex. "Just being aware of what you need and advocating for your needs and standing up for yourself. And so, Gen Z is like, 'No, we get her. She makes sense to us.'"

While the group was at the time labeled as a bit narcissistic and out of touch, Williams said that audiences have come around to the idea that the Lena Dunham-led series was actually just "a bunch of girls trying to create the best environment for each of them to survive and thrive and being wrong, but still trying and caring."

She continued, "I think that’s a pursuit that is resonant in a new way, whereas before it just looked like we didn't know that 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."

As for where she thinks her character Marnie would be today, Williams said still singing, but not with a NYC zip code.

"I think Marnie’s still trying to have a singing career, in addition to other jobs," Williams said. "I picture her with another marriage under her belt, I think probably on the verge of deciding to have a baby on her own."

She added, when asked if she thinks Marnie's still in New York, "I see her in Boston, sort of. Wanting to stay close. Amtrak away, but not in the same-- needing to have a new zip code."

All six seasons of Girls are available to stream on Max.