Girls star quits after clash with Lena Dunham

Christopher Abbott as Charlie and Allison Williams as Marnie on Girls. Photo/supplied

Christopher Abbott has quit Girls after reportedly clashing with Lena Dunham.

The actor - who played Marnie's boyfriend Charlie in the HBO show - amid reports he fell out with the series' creator as they began work on season three.

A source told the New York Post's Page Six: "They've just started work on season three, and Chris is at odds with Lena. He didn't like the direction things are going in, which seems a bit odd since the show put him on the map."

However, Christopher's representative insists he left Girls in order to focus on "other projects".

The representative said: "[Chris] is grateful for the experience of collaborating with Lena, Judd[Apatow], and the entire Girls cast and crew, but right now he's working on numerous other projects and has decided not to return to the show."

Lena recently revealed she is excited about season three and wants to extend its run from 10 to 12 episodes.

She said: "We're starting season three at the end of March. I'm so excited.

"I would love that [to have 12 episodes instead of 10] I think that a little more would be just a little more storytelling real estate, and it would be amazing. But you know, so I shoot four-and-a-half months out of the year, then I'm editing, then I'm doing press, then I'm writing, then I'm back."

- Bang! Showbiz