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Scene

On the cover: Newcomer Allison Williams talks about Girls, her famous family and saying no to nudity

Photographed by Seiji Fujimori. Styled by Tammy Eckenswiller.

When it comes to Williams’ own successes—including her first talk show booking on The Late Show with David Letterman—she says her career is a team effort. “My parents were the first people I talked to when I got offered Marnie. They’ve both been exposed to the business so that’s helpful. I always ask for their opinion.”

“I don’t see myself ever doing nude scenes. Once you do them, you can’t take it back because of the ugly way Google Images works.”

Asked how her parents have reacted to Girls’ risqué scripts, Williams laughs. “We’ve watched it together three times and they are fine. I’m the one that gets giggly and awkward,” she says. “When it first came time to come home and tell them, ‘You’re gonna see me having fake sex on the show,’ they said something like, ‘OK, what do you need?’ and that was it.”

Those sex scenes won’t get too graphic though. “Right now, I don’t see myself ever doing nude scenes,” she says. “Once you do them, you can’t take it back because of the way Google Images works. I also think that unfortunately nudity seems to overshadow some of the more brilliant things that are going on.” In the unlikely event that she is offered the lead for one of Tinseltown’s most buzzy about-to-be-made films, Fifty Shades of Grey—the steamy best-selling novel currently on her nightstand—Williams says she would decline. “I wouldn’t take it. It is just too much for me but I applaud whatever actress steps up to the plate and I can’t wait to watch it.”

Aside from filming the second season of Girls, Williams has a few plates spinning in the air. She is sifting through a stack of movie and TV scripts that have come her way (“They are totally different—I’ve always played comic relief but that is changing”) and is in the throes of recording an album of covers from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. Although the disc’s release date is not set, Williams does hint at who her dream production team would be: “I’d love to work with Mark Ronson and I am obsessed with Don Was—he is such a genius. I would give a limb to work with them.”

With regards to the ongoing hoopla surrounding Girls, Williams feels all the chatter—both negative and positive—is productive. “Any show that gets girls talking about STDs, boyfriend insecurity, roommate problems and friendships with other women is going to make noise. [Girls] can open doors for other young female filmmakers to feel like their voice is relevant. If these conversations are happening as a result of the show, I think we’ve done our job.”

Photographed by Seiji Fujimori. Styled by Tammy Eckenswiller. Hair by Ted Gibson for tedgibsonbeauty.com. Makeup by Julie Harris for the Wall Group. Manicure by Olya Titova for Judy Casey Inc./Chanel.