Lena Dunham to Play Ronald Reagan's Female Speechwriter in a Black List Live Reading

Big shoes to fill.

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Complex Original

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Before kicking off the final season of Girls, Lena Dunham is stepping into the role of former president Ronald Reagan’s top speech writer for a live reading in Hollywood next month.

According to Deadline, she will play a woman named Peggy Noonan who penned his speeches just after he was reelected and began suffering from dementia. The play, titled Reagan and set in 1984, follows an intern (played by Star Trek’sJohn Cho) looking to move up in the ranks who must convince the ailing former actor that he’s in a movie playing the president in order to keep up appearances.

The live reading comes as the 11th in the series which features the best-liked unproduced plays. Following previous traditions, Dunham is expected to portray other minor characters as well.

No word yet on how Noonan reacted to the casting. The columnist also wrote speeches for George H. W. Bush before earning an Emmy nomination for her work on America: A Tribute to Heroes, the 2001 special that raised money for the families of first responders who died on Sept. 11.

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