---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only time I felt like a weird…"
description: "\"The only time I felt like a weird exploiter - even though I knew I wasn't one - was when I was writing a sex scene between me and my adorable co-star [..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef4/lena-dunham-1013_adam_the-only-time-i-felt-like-a-weird-exploi_2123210.jpg"
---

#  The only time I felt like a weird exploiter - even though…

![“The only time I felt like a weird exploiter - even though I knew I wasn't one - was when I was writing a sex scene between me and my adorable co-star &#91;Adam Driver&#93; in which he had to tell me how much he loved my potbelly. It seemed like a weird wish-fulfillment thing, where I'm directing my own…” quote by Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef4/lena-dunham-1013_adam_the-only-time-i-felt-like-a-weird-exploi_2123210.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef4/lena-dunham-1013_adam_the-only-time-i-felt-like-a-weird-exploi_2123210.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef4/lena-dunham-1013_adam_the-only-time-i-felt-like-a-weird-exploi_2123210.jpg)

> “The only time I felt like a weird exploiter - even though I knew I wasn't one - was when I was writing a sex scene between me and my adorable co-star \[Adam Driver\] in which he had to tell me how much he loved my potbelly. It seemed like a weird wish-fulfillment thing, where I'm directing my own fantasy.”

[Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Writing intimate scenes can feel exploitative when personal fantasies merge with professional collaboration, raising ethical concerns.

**In simple terms:** Mixing fantasy with work can feel odd.

Key Takeaway

Maintain clear boundaries and consent in creative collaborations.

Themes

creativity ethics fantasy professionalism

Mood

introspective cautious

Type

artistic ethical

When to use this quote

- screenwriting
- directing actors
- collaborative workshops
- intimate scene rehearsals

Key Concepts

power dynamics artistic expression consent

Questions to Reflect On

- Is it appropriate to embed personal desires in professional work?
- How can creators protect collaborators from discomfort?

A Different Perspective

Personal fantasies may blur professional judgment and affect co‑worker comfort.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Adam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adam/) [Adam Driver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adam-driver-524817/) [Adorable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adorable/) [Drivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drivers/) [Exploiter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exploiter-2585061/) [Fantasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantasy/) [Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt/) [Felt Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt-like/) [Fulfillment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fulfillment/) [Like Weird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-weird-243444/) [My own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-own/) [Only time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only-time/) [Scene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scene/) [Sex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sex/) [Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Weird Exploiter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weird-exploiter-4341171/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [I loved working with Adam Driver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiri-appleby/i-loved-working-with-adam-driver/)

[Shiri Appleby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiri-appleby/)

> [ I like actors who just become that person and then react, and Adam \[Driver\] is completely reactive in that way. So every day working… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-jarmusch/i-like-actors-who-just-become-that-person-and-then-react-and-adam/)

[Jim Jarmusch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-jarmusch/)

> [We've been working for four years on a musical called 'Annette' and we met the French director Leos Carax at the Cannes Film Festival…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-mael/we-ve-been-working-for-four-years-on-a-musical-called-annette-and-we/)

[Russell Mael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-mael/)

> [The most successful exploiter is the one who makes others feel that he or she has their best interests at heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-collins/the-most-successful-exploiter-is-the-one-who-makes-others-feel-that/)

[Randall Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-collins/)

> [ \[People\] earn extra money \[in prison\] selling contraband, dope, and things of that sort to the inmates, and so that really it's an exploiter. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/people-earn-extra-money-in-prison-selling-contraband-dope-and-things/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [My sole wish is to frustrate as utterly as possible the post-mortem exploiter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/my-sole-wish-is-to-frustrate-as-utterly-as-possible-the-post-mortem/)

[Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/)

> [“In every age it has been the tyrant, the oppressor and the exploiter who has wrapped himself in the cloak of patriotism, or religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-victor-debs/in-every-age-it-has-been-the-tyrant-the-oppressor-and-the-exploiter/)

[Eugene Victor Debs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-victor-debs/)

> [“Let me outline briefly as I can what seem to me the characteristics of these opposite kinds of mind. I conceive a strip-miner to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/let-me-outline-briefly-as-i-can-what-seem-to-me-the-characteristics/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [My boyfriend's a musician, and I think when he's on stage is the only time he's not worrying. And so that's the reason he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/my-boyfriend-s-a-musician-and-i-think-when-he-s-on-stage-is-the-only/)

[Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/)

> [“Like, if we were to put all our weird pieces together, we may be able to make something. Something almost complete. Something beautiful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-e-kilgore/like-if-we-were-to-put-all-our-weird-pieces-together-we-may-be-able/)

[C.E. Kilgore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-e-kilgore/)

> [(Be in the world like you're weird, or wayfarer), and was the son of Umar says](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-feel-dreams-of-my-life-and-i-feel-dreams-of/be-in-the-world-like-you-re-weird-or-wayfarer-and-was-the-son-of-umar/)

[I Feel Dreams Of My Life And I Feel Dreams Of](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-feel-dreams-of-my-life-and-i-feel-dreams-of/)

> [I can't stop moving. I'm like this weird insect. I can't sit still in real life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-wright/i-can-t-stop-moving-i-m-like-this-weird-insect-i-can-t-sit-still-in/)

[Robin Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-wright/)

> [I like being weird. It makes everything ten times better."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-like-being-weird-it-makes-everything-ten-times-better/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“It was like one of those weird dreams you have before waking and nothing makes sense and you very often cut people up and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steph-bowe/it-was-like-one-of-those-weird-dreams-you-have-before-waking-and/)

[Steph Bowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steph-bowe/)

> [All my characters are like, weird people. Weird, un-self aware people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lolly-adefope/all-my-characters-are-like-weird-people-weird-un-self-aware-people/)

[Lolly Adefope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lolly-adefope/)

## More by Lena Dunham

> [It was only when I started making short films in college and I was looking for girls to play the me-ish parts that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-was-only-when-i-started-making-short-films-in-college-and-i-was/)

[Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/)

> [“Oberlin being a liberal haven where opposition was king, the coolest clique at school was a group of rugby-playing, neon-wearing lesbians. They dominated every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/oberlin-being-a-liberal-haven-where-opposition-was-king-the-coolest/)

[Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/)

> [Calling someone a drama queen is so negative. Why not 'content creator'?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/calling-someone-a-drama-queen-is-so-negative-why-not-content-creator/)

[Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/)

> [My relationship to eating, my relationship to critiquing my own shape, all of that has changed since I've started viewing my body much more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/my-relationship-to-eating-my-relationship-to-critiquing-my-own-shape/)

[Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/)

> [“I am sorry (not to you but in a deeper way, sorry for my brain chemistry and who I am.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/i-am-sorry-not-to-you-but-in-a-deeper-way-sorry-for-my-brain/)

[Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/)

> [It's very easy for me to say what success is. I think success is connecting with an audience who understands you and having a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-s-very-easy-for-me-to-say-what-success-is-i-think-success-is/)

[Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/)

> [At my age, no one is married, no one has kids, no one has a career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/at-my-age-no-one-is-married-no-one-has-kids-no-one-has-a-career/)

[Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/)

> [I should do the things that make me feel cool and smart. As I get older, I'm realizing more and more that it doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/i-should-do-the-things-that-make-me-feel-cool-and-smart-as-i-get/)

[Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/)

> [My shape reminds me a lot of my grandmother, whom I was really close to. She died when I was 13, and we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/my-shape-reminds-me-a-lot-of-my-grandmother-whom-i-was-really-close/)

[Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/)

> [I never set out to make any statements about a specific character, I just set out to tell what feels like is a truthful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/i-never-set-out-to-make-any-statements-about-a-specific-character-i/)

[Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/)

> [You’ve learned a new rule and it’s simple: don’t put yourself in situations you’d like to run away from. But when you run, run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/you-ve-learned-a-new-rule-and-it-s-simple-don-t-put-yourself-in/)

[Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/)

> [I would go to work from 9 to 6, go home, nap for two hours, then write from 8 to 2 a.m.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/i-would-go-to-work-from-9-to-6-go-home-nap-for-two-hours-then-write/)

[Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/)

> [My uncle's a lawyer and I remember going to see him in court and thinking, 'That's cool, too bad I could never be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/my-uncle-s-a-lawyer-and-i-remember-going-to-see-him-in-court-and/)

[Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/)

> [I love directing scenes that I'm not in because suddenly I really feel like a filmmaker which is a different thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/i-love-directing-scenes-that-i-m-not-in-because-suddenly-i-really/)

[Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/)

> [I'm glad if my work can make a difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/i-m-glad-if-my-work-can-make-a-difference/)

[Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/)

[Explore all 301 Lena Dunham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/)

## More Adam quotes

> [Women rule the world. It's not really worth fighting because they know what they're doing. Ask Napoleon. Ask Adam. Ask Richard Burton or Richie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-bon-jovi/women-rule-the-world-it-s-not-really-worth-fighting-because-they-know/)

[Jon Bon Jovi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-bon-jovi/)

> [The writings of latter-day prophets clearly teach that the sorrows and sufferings endured by Adam and Eve upon their leaving the Garden of Eden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-k-judd/the-writings-of-latter-day-prophets-clearly-teach-that-the-sorrows/)

[Daniel K Judd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-k-judd/)

> [“Mary: Some call this "Eve's curse," but I think that is stupid because the real curse of Eve was having to put up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/mary-some-call-this-eve-s-curse-but-i-think-that-is-stupid-because/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [Adam Clayton Powell's entire political career has to be looked at in the entire context of the American history and the history of, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/adam-clayton-powell-s-entire-political-career-has-to-be-looked-at-in/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [“Adam could imagine what he looked like: a debauched nerd.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-cullinan/adam-could-imagine-what-he-looked-like-a-debauched-nerd/)

[Heidi Cullinan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-cullinan/)

> [Adam Berenson knows how to compose, organize an ensemble, do musical research, play solo and trio piano, write for musical journals, and enlist others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bley/adam-berenson-knows-how-to-compose-organize-an-ensemble-do-musical/)

[Paul Bley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bley/)

> [“Finally, someone had seen him. And what had he done? Let her get away. Undermined by his disgusting human anatomy. It had just been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/finally-someone-had-seen-him-and-what-had-he-done-let-her-get-away/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [“I’d think there are degrees of greatness,” Adam said. “I don’t think so,” said Samuel. “That would be like saying there is a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-d-think-there-are-degrees-of-greatness-adam-said-i-don-t-think-so/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [An ineffably holy God, who has the utmost abhorrence of sin, was never invented by any of Adam's descendents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-w-pink/an-ineffably-holy-god-who-has-the-utmost-abhorrence-of-sin-was-never/)

[Arthur W. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-w-pink/)

> [“think Adam is looking to break Kenji’s neck at this point.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/think-adam-is-looking-to-break-kenji-s-neck-at-this-point/)

[Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/)

> [“Adam's lips are set in a grime line. I can't tell if he's about to cry or about to punch the guard. For his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/adam-s-lips-are-set-in-a-grime-line-i-can-t-tell-if-he-s-about-to-cry/)

[Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/)

> [And as regards Adam and Eve we must maintain that before the fall they were virgins in Paradise: but after they sinned, and were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-jerome/and-as-regards-adam-and-eve-we-must-maintain-that-before-the-fall/)

[St. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-jerome/)

> [Adam became so proud that he wished to become God and died for his pride; the Son of God humbled Himself unto death, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-of-kronstadt/adam-became-so-proud-that-he-wished-to-become-god-and-died-for-his/)

[John of Kronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-of-kronstadt/)

> [Oh, Adam was a gardener, and God who made him sees That half a proper gardener's work is done upon his knees, So when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/oh-adam-was-a-gardener-and-god-who-made-him-sees-that-half-a-proper/)

[Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/)

> [“Barışı elde etmek için çabalayan her adam olağanüstü bir adamdır!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/bar-elde-etmek-i-in-abalayan-her-adam-ola-an-st-bir-adamd-r/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

[Browse all 1,360 Adam quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adam/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The only time I felt like a weird exploiter - even though I knew I wasn't one - was when I was writing a sex scene between me and my adorable co-star [Adam Driver] in which he had to tell me how much he loved my potbelly. It seemed like a weird wish-fulfillment thing, where I'm directing my own fantasy.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Lena Dunham"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/the-only-time-i-felt-like-a-weird-exploiter-even-though-i-knew-i-wasn/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Adam"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/the-only-time-i-felt-like-a-weird-exploiter-even-though-i-knew-i-wasn/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef4/lena-dunham-1013_adam_the-only-time-i-felt-like-a-weird-exploi_2123210.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef4/lena-dunham-1013_adam_the-only-time-i-felt-like-a-weird-exploi_2123210.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef4/lena-dunham-1013_adam_the-only-time-i-felt-like-a-weird-exploi_2123210.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The only time I felt like a weird exploiter - even though I knew I wasn't one - was when I was writing a sex…” — Lena Dunham",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Lena Dunham",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The only time I felt like...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/the-only-time-i-felt-like-a-weird-exploiter-even-though-i-knew-i-wasn/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/the-only-time-i-felt-like-a-weird-exploiter-even-though-i-knew-i-wasn/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
