‘Girls’ Star Alex Karpovsky Transitions From Acting To Directing

Alex Karpovsky has played Ray Ploshansky on the Lena Dunham created Girls for three seasons and, while he has directed a handful of films that include the 2012 films Red Flag and Rubberneck, it wasn’t until recently that Ms. Dunham approached Alex with the idea of putting him behind the camera. As Karpovsky reveals, directing for television isn’t entirely different from directing a film and rave reviews of the Girls episode entitled “Love Stories” proves that Karpovsky has an eye for directing, whatever the medium.

Girls Actor/Director Alex Karpovsky Opens Up About Directing On The Lena Dunham Comedy-Drama

Karpovsky recalls that the idea of directing an episode of Girls wasn’t his idea at all. The actor/director says the concept came up, when Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner approached him during a shoot on a previous episode and asked if he would like to direct a future installment of Girls. There was a wait, says Alex, but Dunham and Konner assigned him the “Love Stories” episode a few weeks later.

Karpovsky says directing Girls was similar to the five feature films he’s directed, because the movies were character driven plot pieces with modest budgets. The Girls actor says his films relied heavily on story and characterization, because they mostly lacked the resources for big budget special effects.

“Basically, I just tried to make sure the tone of the show is in place and expand and deepen our understanding of these characters, who we’ve known for five or six years, but we still find new sides of them we haven’t seen before,” Mr. Karpovsky says of his experience directing Girls.

Karpovsky Gives Girls‘ Fans An In Depth Look At The Chemistry Between Ray And Marnie

It’s been a long time in coming, but Marnie (Allison Williams) and Ray (Alex Karpovsky) finally hooked up in the “Love Stories” episode, when Marnie arrived at Ray’s apartment to confess her love for him. Karpovsky’s character, of course, was just as passionate in his feelings for her. The Girls couple next fell to the floor, as they began making out. While the scene ended there, Karpovsky, who also directed the scene, says there was much more to that story arc that Girls fans didn’t see.

“There’s actually another 30 to 45 seconds of dialogue on the floor where, as we’re kissing, we’re saying certain things to each other, and it was really fun to kind of explore that too,” Karpovsky said.

The decision to cut the scene was made, because the Girls characters acted and spoke explicitly, which might have seemed like the series was jumping the gun in respect to exploring this new relationship. Karpovsky, along with Girls producers Dunham and Konner, ultimately decided to trim the scene and allow the relationship to grow more organically over time.

Alex feels that the relationship would be more believable as a story arc, if it were to advance more slowly and gradually, letting Girls viewers wonder if this is just a rebound situation, or if Marnie and Ray are in it for the long haul.

“So, it doesn’t seem abrupt or forced or contrived when you ultimately get to it,” Karpovsky says in describing how Ray and Marnie bond on Girls. “It feels like an earned and organic extension of a series of small decisions and small glacial little movements that have happened over the course the season. I feel like that’s what happens in life.”

Ultimately, Karpovsky reveals that he was very happy with how his Girls episode turned out, from beginning to end. He says he’s especially pleased with his scene with Ms. Williams, adding that he felt they accomplished their goal for the scene. The Girls actor and director warns fans not to get too cozy with this new power couple, however. He says there’s a bumpy ride in store for Marnie and Ray.

“A lot of confusion. A lot of torment. A lot of doubt. A lot of speculation,” Alex Karpovsky teases. “A lot of misguided lust, and things along those lines.”

[Image by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival]