Gaby Hoffmann Ate Her Placenta, Jenni Konner’s Starting a New Fashion Movement, and More From the Girls Season 4 Premiere

Photo: Getty Images

The big takeaways from the Season 4 premiere of Girls last night? Bare shoulders, engagement rings, and … placenta as the world’s best beauty secret. The cast and crew’s families, friends, and fans gathered at the American Museum of Natural History in New York to celebrate what’s still the coolest cast in NYC.

Gillian Jacobs joins the cast this season as Mimi Rose, an artist who may or may not find herself at odds with Hannah. She wore a bright blue knit dress with shoulder cutouts by ADEAM, and spoke enthusiastically about her latest project: a short documentary about Grace Hopper, one of the first female computer programmers, who worked on the nascent technology, during World War II. “I’m not at all computer-savvy,” she said. “It was a challenge, but it was so interesting! And now the irony is that I have all this knowledge, except it’s outdated because it’s all about computers in the ’40s and the ’50s.”

Gillian Jacobs

The superfans parked out front lost their cool when Andrew Ranells, who plays Elijah Krantz on the show, stepped onto the red carpet. The charming actor posed for selfies and spilled his workout secret: Broadway. He recently wrapped up playing the title role in Hedwig and the Angry Inch. “When you’re doing the show eight times a week, you don’t really have to go to the gym. You’re burning so many calories onstage that you don’t have to worry about what you’re eating,” he said. “And now, I have to constantly tell myself, ‘No, you can’t eat that.’”

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Andrew Rannells

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It was Gaby Hoffmann who stole the spotlight, thanks to her post-pregnancy glow as well as her newest beauty secret: “Placenta! Placenta! Placenta!” Yes, Hoffmann ate her placenta after giving birth six weeks ago. “My doula cut it up in 20 pieces and I just made smoothies, and I just made smoothies. You mix it with strawberries, bananas, tons of fruit, you can’t taste it! But you can feel it.” Looking at her, you can’t help but believe that this is actually some kind of magical potion. Dancing through her labor may have also been a contributing factor to her amazing appearance, “I was telling my boyfriend how Dirty Dancing is such an important movie. It’s such a good lesson for kids!,” she says, laughing. “The night before I was going into labor, I was having contractions and didn’t know what else to do, so I watched Dirty Dancing. It still holds up!”

Gaby Hoffmann

A tired, but still cheerful, Jemima Kirke wore a black satin Adam Lippes dress with a low-cut sleeve that exposed a bit of torso. Kirke is excited that her Girls character, Jessa, is “growing uo. She’s a more relatable human being, and not a prototype anymore.” When asked about her New Year’s resolutions, her answer was unmistakably Kirke, “I don’t make New Year’s resolutions. I can make them any day! I don’t need an excuse, just like I don’t need an excuse to party on New Year’s [Eve], I can party any other day.” So did she stay at home to ring in 2015? “Oh no, I partied! I partied a lot!”

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Lena Dunham and Executive Producer Jenni Konner were joined by Tavi Gevinson on the red carpet. Gevinson, in a Carven coat, jeans, and sneakers, just finished her role as Jessica in This Is Our Youth, and she feels like she’s finally on summer break. (The play started while she was still in high school in Chicago last year.) Her plans? “Work on Rookie, sleep, find my own apartment, and watch Strangers With Candy.”

Janet Mock, Tavi Gevinson, Ilana Glazer, and Abbi Jacobson.

Dunham showed off her shoulders, too, in a Creatures of the Wind dress with cutouts, while Konner wore a fitted red Valentino jumpsuit and talked about her newest fashion project: “I wore this same jumpsuit to the Golden Globes last year! I am trying to start a movement that I am calling ‘recyclista,’ and I want people on the red carpet to wear clothes more than once. It’s just a crazy idea that you have to wear something new to every single event!” Her role model? “Ava Gardner used to buy a dress and wear it 10 different ways, and Kate Middleton and Michelle Obama do it all the time, and they look great!” This is one trend every girl can get behind!

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Jenni Konner and Lena DunhamPhoto: Getty Images