Lena Dunham has addressed the viral photograph that appeared to show her trying to kiss the actor Brad Pitt.
The photo was taken at the London premiere for Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, in which they both starred.
During a virtual appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, the Girls star and writer described the photo as “awkward”.
“I don’t know if you remember, there was a sort of awkward photo taken of the two of us,” Dunham told Cohen of the premiere.
“Well, the way the internet read it was I had somehow physically accosted him, causing him a great deal of stress,” the 33-year-old continued.
“I would never force a kiss on Brad Pitt,” she added. “I respect him far too much as an artist and a friend.”
Dunham went on to talk about how she spent much of the evening with Pitt.
“Later that night, because he knew I felt nervous, he took me into a room and we secretly ate pizza,” she recalled.
Dunham added that she told Pitt she liked his ring, prompting him to give it to her.
“And I wear it and every time I wear it, something amazing happens,” she said.
Prior to the premiere, Dunham celebrated her 33rd birthday with Pitt alongside a number of other famous friends at a fundraiser.
In May 2019, the actor and writer shared several images on Instagram from the fundraiser, which was raising money for the Peggy Albrecht Friendly House – the first recovery home for women who have suffered from drug and alcohol abuse in the US.
The photos feature Dunham smiling alongside A-listers including Pitt, models Tess Holliday and Hari Nef, as well as actor Rumer Willis in the garden of a Los Angeles home.
“I may own a birthday b*tch hat, but IRL I’m no big birthday b*tch,” she wrote in the caption.
