美国国家公共电台 NPR Meet Jenni Konner, The Off-Screen 'Grown-Up' Who Helped Make 'Girls'

 

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

The HBO series "Girls" is now in its sixth and final season. It's a comedy-drama about four self-involved young women in Brooklyn, centering on aspiring¹ writer Hannah Horvath, played by Lena Dunham.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "GIRLS")

LENA DUNHAM: (As Hannah Horvath) It's, like - my persona's very, like, witty² and narcissistic³ as you can probably tell from my, like, triumphant⁴ moth⁵ monologue⁶ and resultant modern love column.

CORNISH: As NPR arts correspondent Mandalit del Barco reports, Dunham created, wrote and produced the series with her creative partner and best friend Jenni Konner.

MANDALIT DEL BARCO, BYLINE⁸: The BFFs named their production company A Casual Romance. Clearly they are smitten⁹ with each other. Here's Lena Dunham on Jenni Konner.

DUNHAM: Jenni and I have a very, very symbiotic¹⁰ working relationship. It's very hard for me to know where one of us stops and one of us ends at this point. I'm always at her house. I mean she's my family.

DEL BARCO: And here's Jenni Konner on Lena Dunham.

JENNI KONNER: She's the bravest person I've ever met. She's also just a lovely friend. She makes sure I'm alive every single morning (laughter), which is maybe part her anxiety, but she's my valentine.

DEL BARCO: From their cozy¹¹ Los Angeles office, they oversee¹² "Girls" and develop other TV and film projects. It's also where they work on their online feminist¹³ newsletter "Lenny Letter." On display are photos of the duo posing together for magazine cover shoots and provocative¹⁴ needlepoint artworks.

KONNER: This one is about perky boobies.

DEL BARCO: This is the kind of brazen¹⁵ humor brandished¹⁶ on their hit show "Girls." Konner, a 45-year-old with two children, has been a showrunner, writer and director, also a sort of den⁷ mother to Dunham and the show's three other millennial¹⁷ actresses.

KONNER: I was definitely hired to be the grown-up on the set. The hardest part of my job was trying to get them not to get tattoos¹⁸ and haircuts during the offseason.

DEL BARCO: Working in television is in Konner's DNA¹⁹. Her mom was a writer on "Hart To Hart" and "Cagney & Lacey," and her dad wrote for everything from "Little House On The Prairie" to "The Sopranos." Growing up in Los Angeles, Konner attended the progressive prep school Crossroads.

KONNER: Yeah, I was there in the Jack²⁰ Black, Maya Rudolph era, so that was very fun. Jack was my improv coach.

DEL BARCO: In the mid-'90s after attending Sarah Lawrence College, Konner moved to New York. While everyone else she knew worked at dot-coms, she was selling cigars in Midtown, doing temp work, basically riding through her 20s like a character in "Girls."

KONNER: I was living in the very edge of Carroll Gardens, like, almost Red Hook, in a parlor²¹ floor apartment with my friend who turned out to be a secret junkie (laughter). And I remember we got robbed one night by crackheads because I left the windows all open. And they climbed in and took my Kate Spade bag which I had saved up so much for.

DEL BARCO: Konner eventually was hired to punch up Hollywood scripts, composing lines for the female character in "Transformers 3." She also wrote an episode of "Undeclared," a TV series about college life.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "UNDECLARED")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: (As character) How did you get so smart?

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character) I read. I read, like, eight or nine books a week.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: (As character) Wow.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character) Yeah, told you - also do a lot of speed.

DEL BARCO: Judd Apatow created the short-lived show. He says he was impressed with Konner.

JUDD APATOW: She writes very deep characters. At the same time, she's really funny, funny in both a light way and a darkly comic way.

DEL BARCO: While writing for Apatow, Konner became a huge fan of Lena Dunham's indie film "Tiny Furniture" about a recent college grad who returns home while trying to figure out what to do with her life.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "TINY FURNITURE")

DUNHAM: (As Aura) I'm a young, young person who is trying very hard.

KONNER: I felt so connected to that entitled girl who didn't know what she should be doing and was kind of lost. And I just, like, couldn't believe what an amazing voice Lena had. And I mean just to see a girl, like, spend 45 seconds putting on Spanx or getting into a fight with her mom, it just felt so real and hilarious²².

DEL BARCO: HBO gave Dunham her own show based on a premise²³ similar to "Tiny Furniture," and executive producer Apatow hired Konner to work on "Girls."

APATOW: Part of Jenni's job is to be paying attention to Lena, what she needs, how she can write with her, how she can know when she needs a break.

DUNHAM: She started out basically having to babysit me.

DEL BARCO: Dunham says Konner helped her curb²⁴ her workaholic tendencies.

DUNHAM: Acting²⁵, getting naked in front of people. The public criticism that comes with it has been really emotionally draining. And unfortunately Jenni's been put in the position of having to caretake, but it's something that she does with so much grace that you would never think it was hard for her.

DEL BARCO: Sisterhood is a theme of their online newsletter "Lenny Letter." Its writers explore issues like abortion²⁶ and gender²⁷ parity²⁸ in Hollywood. "Lenny Letter" now has an imprint²⁹ with Random³⁰ House, and they recently made an animated³¹ short in honor of Planned Parenthood's centennial. Konner says the girls in "Girls" are not as outspoken³² as she and Dunham but provocative in their own way.

KONNER: We were never overtly³³ political. I don't think we would have ever taken on Trump³⁴ or what this administration is or anything like that mainly because the girls are so, like, self-centered.

DEL BARCO: The finale of "Girls" is set for mid-April. Mandalit del Barco, NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF ED SHEERAN SONG, "I SEE FIRE")

1 aspiring   

adj.有志气的；有抱负的；高耸的v.渴望；追求

参考例句：

• Aspiring musicians need hours of practice every day. 想当音乐家就要每天练许多小时。
• He came from an aspiring working-class background. 他出身于有抱负的工人阶级家庭。 来自辞典例句

2 witty   

adj.机智的，风趣的

参考例句：

• Her witty remarks added a little salt to the conversation.她的妙语使谈话增添了一些风趣。
• He scored a bull's-eye in their argument with that witty retort.在他们的辩论中他那一句机智的反驳击中了要害。

3 narcissistic   

adj.自我陶醉的，自恋的，自我崇拜的

参考例句：

• In the modern vocabulary, it was narcissistic. 用时髦话说，这是一种自我陶醉狂。 来自辞典例句
• This is our Nielaoshi, a dwarf has also grown narcissistic teachers. 这就是我们的倪老师，一个长得又矮又自恋的老师。 来自互联网

4 triumphant   

adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的

参考例句：

• The army made a triumphant entry into the enemy's capital.部队胜利地进入了敌方首都。
• There was a positively triumphant note in her voice.她的声音里带有一种极为得意的语气。

5 moth   

n.蛾，蛀虫

参考例句：

• A moth was fluttering round the lamp.有一只蛾子扑打着翅膀绕着灯飞。
• The sweater is moth-eaten.毛衣让蛀虫咬坏了。

6 monologue   

n.长篇大论，（戏剧等中的）独白

参考例句：

• The comedian gave a long monologue of jokes.喜剧演员讲了一长段由笑话组成的独白。
• He went into a long monologue.他一个人滔滔不绝地讲话。

7 den   

n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室

参考例句：

• There is a big fox den on the back hill.后山有一个很大的狐狸窝。
• The only way to catch tiger cubs is to go into tiger's den.不入虎穴焉得虎子。

8 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

9 smitten   

猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去分词 )

参考例句：

• From the moment they met, he was completely smitten by her. 从一见面的那一刻起，他就完全被她迷住了。
• It was easy to see why she was smitten with him. 她很容易看出为何她为他倾倒。

10 symbiotic   

adj.共栖的，共生的

参考例句：

• Racing has always had a symbiotic relationship with betting.赛马总是与赌博相挂钩。
• Engineering completely new symbiotic relationship is obviously not an imminent possibility.筹划完全新的共生关系显然是可能性不大。

11 cozy   

adj.亲如手足的，密切的，暖和舒服的

参考例句：

• I like blankets because they are cozy.我喜欢毛毯，因为他们是舒适的。
• We spent a cozy evening chatting by the fire.我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。

12 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

13 feminist   

adj.主张男女平等的，女权主义的

参考例句：

• She followed the feminist movement.她支持女权运动。
• From then on,feminist studies on literature boomed.从那时起，男女平等受教育的现象开始迅速兴起。

14 provocative   

adj.挑衅的，煽动的，刺激的，挑逗的

参考例句：

• She wore a very provocative dress.她穿了一件非常性感的裙子。
• His provocative words only fueled the argument further.他的挑衅性讲话只能使争论进一步激化。

15 brazen   

adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的

参考例句：

• The brazen woman laughed loudly at the judge who sentenced her.那无耻的女子冲着给她判刑的法官高声大笑。
• Some people prefer to brazen a thing out rather than admit defeat.有的人不愿承认失败，而是宁肯厚着脸皮干下去。

16 brandished   

v.挥舞( brandish的过去式和过去分词 )；炫耀

参考例句：

• "Bang!Bang!"the small boy brandished a phoney pistol and shouted. “砰！砰！”那小男孩挥舞着一支假手枪，口中嚷嚷着。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Swords brandished and banners waved. 刀剑挥舞，旌旗飘扬。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

17 millennial   

一千年的，千福年的

参考例句：

• Both Russia and America looked to the future to fulfill their millennial expectations. 俄国和美国都把实现他们黄金时代的希望寄托于未来。
• The millennial generation is celebrating the global commons every day, apparently unmindful of Hardin's warning. 千禧一代显然对哈丁的警告不以为然，每天都在颂扬全球“公地”。

18 tattoos   

n.文身( tattoo的名词复数 )；归营鼓；军队夜间表演操；连续有节奏的敲击声v.刺青，文身( tattoo的第三人称单数 )；连续有节奏地敲击；作连续有节奏的敲击

参考例句：

• His arms were covered in tattoos. 他的胳膊上刺满了花纹。
• His arms were covered in tattoos. 他的双臂刺满了纹身。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

20 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

21 parlor   

n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅

参考例句：

• She was lying on a small settee in the parlor.她躺在客厅的一张小长椅上。
• Is there a pizza parlor in the neighborhood?附近有没有比萨店？

22 hilarious   

adj.充满笑声的，欢闹的；[反]depressed

参考例句：

• The party got quite hilarious after they brought more wine.在他们又拿来更多的酒之后，派对变得更加热闹起来。
• We stop laughing because the show was so hilarious.我们笑个不停，因为那个节目太搞笑了。

23 premise   

n.前提；v.提论，预述

参考例句：

• Let me premise my argument with a bit of history.让我引述一些史实作为我立论的前提。
• We can deduce a conclusion from the premise.我们可以从这个前提推出结论。

24 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

25 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

26 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

27 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

28 parity   

n.平价，等价，比价，对等

参考例句：

• The two currencies have now reached parity.这两种货币现已达到同等价值。
• Women have yet to achieve wage or occupational parity in many fields.女性在很多领域还没能争取到薪金、职位方面的平等。

29 imprint   

n.印痕，痕迹；深刻的印象；vt.压印，牢记

参考例句：

• That dictionary is published under the Longman imprint.那本词典以朗曼公司的名义出版。
• Her speech left its imprint on me.她的演讲给我留下了深刻印象。

30 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

31 animated   

adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的

参考例句：

• His observations gave rise to an animated and lively discussion.他的言论引起了一场气氛热烈而活跃的讨论。
• We had an animated discussion over current events last evening.昨天晚上我们热烈地讨论时事。

32 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

33 overtly   

ad.公开地

参考例句：

• There were some overtly erotic scenes in the film. 影片中有一些公开色情场面。
• Nietzsche rejected God's law and wrote some overtly blasphemous things. 尼采拒绝上帝的律法，并且写了一些渎神的作品。

34 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。