The Cast Of 'Girls' What They Looked Like In Their First Episode Vs. Now

HBO's Girls was a coming-of-age series about a group of privileged post-collegiate girls living in Brooklyn. This show is what really put Lena Dunham on the map as a cultural icon. The show was a clear reflection of the millennial generation because many of the characters seemed to be going through an existential crisis with no clear direction as to where their lives are going. The show painted the picture as the main female characters being self-centered, and self-sabotaging that are yet highly intelligent and educated.

Lena Dunham's character, Hannah Horvath is going through her quarter-life crisis coming to grips with the fact that she has to leave the nest of her parent's financial support and actually become an adult. The characters on Girls became so self-involved, that they started to completely lack any kind of empathy for others. When you are watching the show, many viewers find these characters off-putting, but you can't help but get sucked into their world.

Girls was a big launching pad for many of the actors to go on and have bigger careers since the end of Season 6 in 2017. The first premiere of the show was in 2010, so they haven't drastically changed but some of the actors are now household names. Here is the cast of Girls from their first few episodes to what they look like now.

*Please Note: There are some spoilers if you are a little late to this party.*

15 Lena Dunham: The Woman Who Put A Face On Modern Feminism, AKA Hannah Hovarth

Lena Dunham's character as Hannah Horvath was both relatable and adorable to any millennial girl. She was flawed in both her looks and personality yet was still trying to be a good person on top of all of that. The fact that she was arguably average looking and a little chubby made her the anti-Hollywood heroine which is probably what made the show so popular. Her charm made you love to hate her or hate to love her but either way, you could not stop tuning in to her.

According to AM New York, Hannah Horvath was that friend who has managed to stay in your life for years, but you are not sure why or how.

Her failed career opportunities and relationships make you want to shake her and say "girl, what the hell are you thinking?" while making you want to give her a big hug at the same time.

Her lack of direction in life spoke to that hipster audience, especially those that are living in artsy communities like Brooklyn. Since the show ended, Lena Dunham has made a huge name for herself as a writer and actress. Though Girls was her big breakout hit as producer of the show, she landed some small roles on American Horror Story and signed a 3.5 million dollar book deal with Random House. Her latest book is titled Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She's Learned.

14 Adam Driver: Hannah's Strange But Intriguing On-Again, Off-Again Boyfriend, Also Named Adam Like The Actor

Adam Driver's character also had the same first name as the actor himself. Adam Sackler (Adam Driver) was not the most outspoken man in the room, but that didn't stop him from standing out like a sore thumb. Yet, there was something about him that was deep and complex. When you saw Adam and Hannah together, he may have seemed out of her league in the looks department but his strange quirks could only work with her where other girls were put off by him.

Girls was Adam Driver's big break as an actor and one of his first acting gigs in the first place. Before getting into acting, he was a Marine. When he showed up to audition for Girls, Lena Dunham knew right away that he was perfect for this role. According to Rolling Stone, he came into the screen test holding a motorcycle helmet. "Which," Dunham said, "was highly intriguing." "I feel like we found something that was playful and seemed to kind of work and make sense" she added.

Adam Driver's accidental success with Girls led to more roles in indies like Frances Ha!, Silence, and This Is Where I Leave You. More notably, he has now nailed role as villain Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Umm, that's a pretty big deal.

13 Allison Williams: Marnie, The Girl Who Looks Like She Has It Together But Doesn't

Marnie Michaels (Allison Williams) was that Type-A personality friend that looked like she had her life together, but really she had no idea what she wanted. She was that friend where you felt like you just couldn't get a word in because there was no problem in the world that was bigger than her conflict of the day. Though she had a classically pretty face and a sophisticated sense of fashion, the girl was just a hot mess just like the rest of them.

She is Hannah's closest friend and they knew each other back in when they were roommates as freshmen at Oberlin College.

She his highly intelligent but definitely full of herself because she would say things like "that guy should be happy that I even wanted to talk to him."

Allison Williams was another new face to Hollywood when Girls premiered. She is the daughter of Brian Williams who is a journalist for NBC News and an anchor or MSNBC. While she was starring on Girls, she played a female Peter Pan in Peter Pan Live! on NBC in a musical adaptation. She also had a starring role as the female lead in the thriller Get Out.

12 Jemima Kirke: Jessa, The Cool British Boho Girl

Jemima Kirke played Jessa Johansson. She and Hannah knew each other in real life and met at Oberlin College (which the characters in Girls also met so this is all loosely based on real life). This is what makes Girls so interesting. All the characters are based off of people Lena Dunham knew in real life, and some of the actresses were actually people that she knew personally beforehand, too.

Jessa was possibly one of the flakiest characters that would bail on plans and show up late to everything. She is the type that would disappear into thin air and then reappear weeks later acting as if she had never left you sitting at some sleazy dive bar that she insisted on going to in the first place, according to the AM Network. Her redeeming quality was that she was always a good time, that is until she would steal your boyfriend.

Since Girls, Jemima Kirke has appeared in movies such as The Little Hours and Untogether. While she was filming Girls, she also made an appearance in the mystery science fiction film, Ava's Possessions and Tiny Furniture (with Lena Dunham). Jemima Kirke has that adorable British accent that can never go unrecognized.

11 Zosia Mamet: Shoshanna, The Sheltered Yet Witty Jewish Girl

Shoshanna Shapiro (Zosia Mamet) was the quirkiest character on the show Girls. She was outgoing yet a bit socially awkward at the same time. At the beginning of the series, she was innocent and more inexperienced compared to the other characters. Later down the road, she turns into a goal-oriented "go-getter". Unlike the other characters, she actually has career aspirations with some drive.

We still can't get over her Harajuku style when she went to Tokyo for an internship.

Deep down, Shoshanna was an actual sweetheart who put everyone else's needs before her own, making her one of the more lovable characters as the good girl of the group. She started from being one of the most naive characters on the show to developing into the most mature. Even so much to the point where she outgrew her friendships with Hannah, Marnie, and Jessa.

Zosia Mamet is the daughter of David Mamet, who is a famous film director and screenwriter. Needless to say, she has had some connections getting into acting. She has appeared in many independent films including The Kids Are Alright, Bleeding Heart, Wiener-Dog, The Last Keepers, Under the Silver Lake and Greenberg. Out of everyone in the cast of Girls, she will probably be the most likely to win an Oscar or some sort of Academy Award eventually.

10 Andrew Rannells: Elijah, Hannah's Ex-Boyfriend Who Came Out Of The Closet In The First Episode

At first, we are introduced to Elijah Krantz (Andrew Rannells) in Season 1 as Hannah's college ex-boyfriend who we can see is clearly gay now. In fact, he is so flamboyant to the point where we wonder how Hannah could have ever missed this signal when she was dating him. Strangely enough, Elijah and Hannah end up becoming BFFs and even roommates after Marnie moves out. Though Elijah was so honest to the point of being cruel, he was still that lovable gay BFF that every girl wishes that she could have in her life.

Elijah was sort of in and out of the series but his character is definitely memorable. When he came out as gay in the third episode of Girls, he even outed Hannah's father as being gay. This was a punctuated introduction to this character that we can never forget. Though the show is centered on Hannah's circle of female friends, the male characters have their moments too. His brutal honesty reaches its peak when he tells Hannah that she will make a horrible mother when she becomes pregnant.

Andrew Rannells has had roles even before Girls as voiceovers in children's cartoons. He has also appeared in Sex in the City 2, The Intern, Bachelorette, and Why Him?

9 Christopher Abbott: Charlie, The "Nice Guy" Ex-Boyfriend Of Marnie Who Is Always Hopelessly In Love With Her

Charlie Dattolo (Chris Abbott) is that hopelessly loyal boyfriend that would be cuter if he just wasn't so clingy and loving on his girlfriend. Marnie actually starts to get sick of him within the first few episodes and it is clear that she wants out of the 4-year relationship. Even after they break up, she still continues to toy around with his feelings and he just caves in every time.

Charlie's character is somewhat of a pushover because he is always there when she needs them, regardless of whether or not they are actually together.

His character takes a dark turn when he has an unexpected encounter with Marnie on the street years after they break up. They have one romantic night together and Marnie finds out that he has changed as a person but in a horrible way. Needless to say, Marnie hightailed it out of there and never looked back.

In real life though, Chris Abbott looks just like Jon Snow from Game of Thrones and is kind of a stud, unlike his Charlie character. Chris Abbott has starred in indie films such as James White, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Martha Marcy May Marlene, It Comes at Night, and Hello I Must Be Going.

8 Alex Karpovsky: Ray, The Smart Alec Of The Group

Ray Ploshansky (Alex Karpovsky) is that older dude of the group who is in his thirties yet hangs out with twentysomethings for some reason. He is a manager at a coffee shop and though he is witty and has some funny, sarcastic things to say, he just can't get his life together for some reason. When is dating Shoshanna who is his younger girlfriend, she realizes that he is crashing at her place because he is "in between" places (AKA he is homeless). The only reason that Ray does not come off as a pathetic character is that there is always some witty banter somewhere in there.

Despite the fact that Ray considered himself a "loser", he is actually the most grounded character on Girls. He doesn't get trapped inside his own head and he has a more practical perspective than the rest of them. There is a strange coupling between him and Marnie after the breakup with Shoshanna, which piques many viewers interest.

Alex Karpovsky was also in Tiny Furniture alongside Lena Dunham and Jemima Kirke. He has also appeared in films such as Folk Hero & Funny Guy, Inside Llewyn Davis, Rubberneck, Supporting Characters, and Hail, Caesar!

7 Becky Ann Baker: Hannah's Mom Who Seems To Be The Most Normal Character On The Show

Hannah's parents are the only parents that are featured on the show since they are an integral part of Hannah's life seeing as how they are the ones that continue financially supporting her even though she never seems to have a steady job. Hannah's mom, Loreen Hovarth is played by Becky Ann Baker and she is almost too nice to a fault. At the beginning of Season 1, she and Hannah's dad take her out to dinner to announce that they are no longer financially supporting her and that she needs to make it on her own.

Her parents represent the baby boomer generation that just doesn't understand why millennials just can't get it together.

Becky Ann Baker is an accomplished actress who has been around for awhile even before Girls. She also played the mom in Freaks and Geeks. She also appeared in major movies such as Spider-Man 3, 23 Blast, A Simple Plan, Nights in Rodanthe, Death of a President and many more. She is definitely one of those actresses whose face that you will recognize and say to yourself, "hey she definitely looks familiar" because she just has one of those familiar faces. She is perfect for all those "nice mom" type of roles.

6 Peter Scolari: Hannah's Closet Case Dad

Hannah's dad coming out of the closet (just like her gay ex-boyfriend, Elijah predicted) was possibly one of the most hilarious yet sad things to happen on Girls. On top of that, he left Hannahs' mom for a man. This type of situation could only happen to Hannah of course. In fact, Peter Scolari did such a great job at depicting Hannah's dad as Tad Hovarth that he won an Emmy for it, even though he has a small role on the show.

Though Girls is a quirky and hip show, Hannah's dad coming out of the closet actually has a sadness to it. According to Variety, this guy had carried a tremendous amount of angst and grief for that life that he had never got to lead. He was saying “I'm not going to live a lie,” but things did not go his way. It is always sad to see a middle-aged person reveal who they really are after not having lived in their prime.

Back in the early '80s, Peter Scolari was best known for his role on Bosom Buddies and Newhart. He has also appeared in movies such as Polar Express, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, That Thing You Do!, Camp Nowhere and Sorority Boys.

5 Chris O'Dowd: Thomas-John, The Guy With Two First Names

Thomas-John was that wall street finance guy that somehow got married to hipster Jessa just two weeks after meeting her. After an encounter with Jessa and Marnie at a fancy martini lounge, he coerces them to come back to his place. After he yells at Marnie for spilling wine on his expensive rug, they leave the apartment writing him off as a complete spaz. The next thing you know, he runs into Jessa again and then they get married, even though they could not be more opposite from each other.

Needless to say, the marriage is short-lived, and it leaves Jessa running to Hannah's apartment crying in her bathtub.

One of the most memorable scenes with Thomas-John on Girls is when he takes Jessa to meet his parents for the first time after they are married. His waspy parents meet Jessa dressed as a complete hippie and ask probing questions that they do not like the answers to.

Chris O'Dowd is recognizable as that cute Scottish cop in Bridesmaids who is Kristen Wiig's love interest. In addition to his small role on Girls, he has also appeared on the TV show, The IT Crowd and movies such as Get Shorty, The Sapphires, Calvary, This is 40 and Friends with Kids.

4 Ebon Moss Bachrach: Desi, Marnie's Ex-Husband Who Had Issues

After Marnie discovers that she really wants to be a singer, she meets Desi who gives her that creative outlet. He is also a musician and they make beautiful art together. Before you know it, they get married on a complete whim. Later on in the series, Marnie learns that Desi has substance dependency issues that she didn't even know about even though she was living with him the entire time. There was even a time where Marnie was dating both him and Ray after the breakup with Shoshanna. (Yeah, the characters on Girls really don't seem to have a sense of boundary when it comes to dating their friends.)

In an interview with Bustle, Ebon spoke about Marnie and Desi's relationship on Girls. I think as much as Desi hates the torture that Marnie puts him through, he really loves it in the way he can use all that for his art. They have this epic love affair and it's being recorded in real time by the songs that they're writing for each other and about each other, and it's this total hurricane of emotion and absurdity."

Ebon Moss-Bachrach is another actor on the Girls cast who has been starring in other indie films before and after Girls so that blends in well with the acting style of the show. You can now see him on Netflix's The Punisher. He has also appeared in films such as The Lake House, Come Out And Play, Lola Versus and Mona Lisa Smile. There are many more films that he has appeared in so he is also another one of those actors that you recognize in smaller roles.

3 Shiri Appleby: Natalia, The Girl Who Got Her Heart Broken By Adam

Shiri Appleby played Natalia, who became Adam's girlfriend after his first breakup with Hannah. Her character was sweet and honest which made many people scratch their head as to why she would be with someone as weird as Adam. She just couldn't match him on his dark side and that freaked her out.

After Adam realized that she just was not down for the quirky dude he was, he then went (literally) running back to that unhealthy relationship he had with Hannah.

In an interview with Parade, Shiri talks about Adam and Natalia's relationship. “You got to see him be loose and try to be this idea of a man that maybe he hasn't attempted to be. He was definitely trying to be something that he wasn't. I think that was strange for him and obviously, his demons got the best of him.” At the end of the day, Natalia was just too "girl next door" for Adam's taste and he needed someone edgier.

Shiri Appleby has been around as an actress for a while. She starred on Roswell and the new TV series Unreal. She has also appeared in films such as Swimfan, Charlie Wilson's War, and Devil's Candy.

2 Riz Ahmed: Paul-Louis, The Guy Who Got Hannah Pregnant

Riz Ahmed's role on Girls was Hannah's short-lived vacation fling as Paul-Louis who is her surf instructor turned baby daddy. Even though they have a deep conversation about life and love, he doesn't take on the responsibility of being a father when she tells him that she is pregnant. So this leaves her to be a single mom towards the series finale. Oh yeah, and to top that all off, he had a girlfriend the entire time the fling between him and Hannah went on. There is a difference between being free-spirited and just ducking out of being a decent human being.

He was an important part of Hannah's growth because she realizes what kind of negativity that she is surrounded by in New York. Getting to know Paul-Louis makes her reevaluate her attitude about her life. Though Paul-Louis dips out of Hannah's life, having met him makes her come to certain realizations that she otherwise wouldn't have had before.

Riz Ahmed is a British actor who became a break-out success within the past couple years (much like Adam Driver). His big break as an actor was in 2014's Nightcrawler with Jake Gyllenhaal. He has also had a starring role in HBO's The Night Of. He has also had big roles in Jason Bourne and Star Wars: Rogue One.

1 Gillian Jacobs: Mimi-Rose, The Girl Who Adam Got Pregnant

Gillian Jacobs has been the breakout star of Netflix's short-lived series Love which is also a show about being a hipster today, so it's really not that far of a stretch from her role in Girls. In Girls, she played Mimi-Rose Howard who played Adam's fiercely independent new girlfriend towards the ends of the series before he gets back together with Hannah once again. She was the foil to Hannah because she wasn't needy and even decided to end the pregnancy when she found out that she was carrying Adam's child.

Her character even gained a cult following that opened up the doors for many more roles later down the road.

In an interview with Time, she described her character as Mimi-Rose. "I think she presented early on on the show as an enigmatic, mysterious figure that is more successful than the other girls. I think her confidence, and also weirdly her lack of obsession with Adam, contrasted with his relationship with Hannah. She's not consumed by him."

While she starred in Girls, she also had a role in the TV series Community. Gillian Jacobs also appeared in films such as Life of the Party, Hot Tub Time Machine 2, Walk of Shame, and Life Partner.

References: AM Network, Rolling Stone, Chicago Tribune, Variety, Bustle, Time, Parade