Scott Speedman Says He Would've Been 'Scared Off' by His Sharp Stick Porn Star Role 5 Years Ago

Tommaso Boddi/Getty

Scott Speedman was ready for the challenge of playing a porn star in the upcoming film Sharp Stick.

At the film's Los Angeles premiere Monday, the actor, 46, opened up about taking on the role, telling PEOPLE, "I thought the script was really good, and the character, I'm always looking for stuff like this where I can go and have fun and [it] scares me. This scared me."

The Felicity alum also says he had a conversation with Lena Dunham — who wrote, directed and stars — in the movie before signing onto the project.

"I didn't really get it until I talked to Lena about it," he explained. "And once she really talked me through, then it all made sense to me and I wanted to jump in and do it. But five or six years ago, I probably would've been scared off from doing this. But I had a blast doing it."

Speedman also says working with Dunham was "amazing." In turn, the Girls creator, 36, says Speedman was "such a joy" on set, adding, "And what I love is that his character, despite having this toughness, women have responded and are really saying that his character makes him feel really safe. That was the goal."

RELATED: Scott Speedman on Grey's Anatomy Return: 'It's Really Fun to Slip Back into the Romantic Role'

Tommaso Boddi/Getty

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly newsletter to get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.

Speedman adds, "He was the tender, sensitive sweet porn star. And once he said that, I understood and went back and read the script. And I really saw it and got it."

Dunham refers to Speedman's character as the "Elvis of porn stars" and Speedman jokes about the filmmaker showing him some examples of adult film stars she had in mind: "You even showed me a couple of guys or one guy in particular. Can't remember his name. And I was like, 'Okay, I get it,' " he says, as Dunham responds, "Okay, I'd done a little research. Not a big deal!"

In Sharp Stick, Dunham stars as a pregnant woman whose husband (Jon Bernthal) is having an affair with a younger woman (Looking for Alaska's Kristine Froseth).

The movie marks Dunham's first big-screen directorial project since 2010's Tiny Furniture, in which she also appeared alongside a cast including her Girls costar Jemima Kirke.

Sharp Stick premieres in L.A. and N.Y.C. theaters July 29, and nationwide Aug. 5. It hits streaming platforms Aug. 16.