Sign in

Adam Driver shuts down question about Lena Dunham accusing him of being rough during sex scenes: 'Saving it for my book'

Lena Dunham had made several accusations about Adam Driver's behaviour on the sets of their hit show, Girls.

May 18, 2026, 08:53:16 IST
Share
Share via
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • whatsapp
Copy link
  • copy link

American actor Adam Driver batted away accusations about aggressive behaviour on the set of the television series Girls at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday. The actor was asked about filmmaker Lena Dunham's comments in her recent memoir, in which she detailed Adam's alleged aggressive behaviour on set.

Cast member Adam Driver attends a press conference for the the film "Paper Tiger" in competition at the 79th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 17, 2026. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes (REUTERS)
Cast member Adam Driver attends a press conference for the the film "Paper Tiger" in competition at the 79th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 17, 2026. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes (REUTERS)

Adam Driver dismisses Lena Dunham accusations

At the Cannes Film Festival, Adam Driver is promoting James Gray's new crime thriller Paper Tiger, which also stars Scarlett Johansson. On Sunday, during a press interaction, as he was asked about Lena Dunham's accusations against him, the actor said, “I have no comment on any of that. I'm saving it all for my book.”

Lena Dunham accused the Star Wars star of being rough with her during their first sex scene. He "hurled me this way and that", she wrote in her new memoir Famesick. She added that while “it wasn't that I felt violated,” she felt she had “lost directorial authority”. At another point in the memoir, Dunham wrote that Adam "hurled a chair at the wall next to me" when he grew angry at her for forgetting her lines during a rehearsal, and swore repeatedly at her.

The incidents allegedly took place on the sets of their hit show, Girls, which ran for six seasons until 2017. The show was about a self-obsessed writer and her boyfriend, named Adam, played by Adam Driver, and their on-off, toxic relationship. The show seemed to mirror Dunham's own life. She wrote, directed and acted in the series.

Adam Driver's new film

Adam Driver is currently starring in Paper Tiger. The drama about an ordinary family that falls under the sway of the Russian mafia in New York is in the running for the Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize.

James Gray, the film's director, said his film was an indictment of the often "transactional" nature of the United States. “Like the current American president, who is a symptom of what I'm talking about. Totally transactional. You know, how can I make the most money? This ethos becomes everything, and what does that do to our souls? If you tell young people it doesn't matter whether you're a good person or not... it leaves them adrift,” he said.

  • Abhimanyu Mathur
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Abhimanyu Mathur

    Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism. Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Film Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day. Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world.Read More

Stay connected with all the glitz and glam from the world of entertainment, right from Hollywood gossip to Bollywood chit chat. Also don't miss out on music buzz, anime scoops and OTT action.