*After Lena Dunham’s presence in a photo celebrating the Time’s Up initiative drew side-eyes, one of the participants co-signed the confusion before later backtracking, ultimately regretting that the controversy threatened to take away attention from the movement.
Actress Tessa Thompson is among the many women taking part in the anti-sexual harassment movement Time’s Up, which had a coming out party during Sunday’s Golden Globes ceremony.
In the since-deleted celebratory photo Thompson posted are Michelle Williams, Billie Jean King, Rashida Jones, Susan Sarandon, Laura Dern — and, on the end of the middle row, far right, is Dunham.
In an Instagram comment reported by IndieWire, the star of “Thor: Ragnarok” said planning for the red carpet the day before the event required “6 hours, 60 artists, 8 activists and a lot of coffee.” Dunham, Thompson said, was not among those on the ground floor.
According to Thompson, her participation in Time’s Up planning was limited to the photo op. Responding to several commenters questioning why Dunham was in the picture, Thompson wrote:
“Lena was not anywhere present in our group during the countless hours of work for the last two months. We hosted an open house for actresses for red carpet messaging and Lena presence was a surprise to us all. This is a time of reckoning. And for many, a re-education. So many women also have real work to do. I’m afraid it’s too nuanced a conversation to have on this platform. But I hear you, and know that your thoughts and words are not lost on me. It’s been discussed.”
When asked to comment by IndieWire, Dunham responded, “I was honored to be invited to the meeting by a close friend and to observe the work that these amazing women have been doing the past few months. For highly personal reasons, I’ve been unable to join previous efforts but being asked to be a part of this celebratory moment was truly beautiful. I’ve worked with Tessa and respect her artistry and admire her consistent candor.”
Hours later, Thompson took to Twitter with a clarification about Dunham’s lack of involvement.
“I sometimes lack finesse in navigating social media. Hard to discuss issues with nuance there. A response I made to comments on an Instagram became fodder for a piece that I believe was designed to create conflict where there isn’t any,” Thompson wrote in a statement posted to Twitter, which has since been deleted. “It’s perhaps more complex than that. But I, in no way, want to diminish Lena Dunham and her work, her voice, and her importance. We have spoken and she knows my heart. I feel a responsibility to women that have sometimes felt ignored, dismissed and underrepresented. They are my beacons.”
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