‘Girls’ season 2 spoilers: Guess who was supposed to be a minor role?

When “Girls” was originally conceived by Lena Dunham, it looks almost as though it was planned around a trio, and not a quartet, of young women who navigate tough times in New York City; however, all it took was a strong performance from one of the actors in order to convince the writer / producer / actor / possible light and craft services operator (we actually think that Dunham has mastered time travel to do everything that she does) to give her an increased role.

The part that we are talking about here is none other than Shoshanna, as Dunahm tells the New York Times Magazine that it was really the performance of Zosia Mamet in the role that transformed the insecure virgin from just a possible recurring part from the pilot into a full-fledged member of the gang:

“[Mamet] definitely shifted my original conception of the character, which was a much more tangential girl, whose main job was to illuminate how un-‘Sex and the City’ this world was … But Zosia’s read — her odd intonations, her roiling insecurity — gave me the sense that Shoshanna could be something much larger.”

We agree with Dunham that increasing Shoshanna’s role was clearly the right choice, as she has quickly become a fan favorite and her romance with Ray is pretty entertaining to watch (and will also be during season 2). However, we would have stayed away from the “Sex and the City” comparison if we were her, mostly because she has a love interest that calls Hannah “kid” (one of Mr. Big’s favorite words), and there a certain moment during season 1 that went over a line involving urination that John Slattery first tried to do on Sarah Jessica Parker’s character so many years ago. (Even if this world is not as glamorous as Carrie Bradshaw’s world, it would be silly to pretend as though some of the stories they tell are really that different.)

“Girls” season 2 premieres on HBO Sunday, January 13. Want to sneak a peek at Shoshanna’s upcoming story? If so, all you have to do is check out the video here.

Photo: HBO