Lena Dunham says she didn't know dead cats were used for a dissection scene in an HBO drama she's producing

• The HBO Max show is titled "Generation" and has been compared to "Euphoria."
• During the cut scene, actors in a biology class were asked to dissect the animals.
• Two acting extras quit the show due to the scene, HBO confirmed to Variety.

Lena Dunham issued a statement on Tuesday supporting the removal of a scene from her upcoming HBO Max-produced drama "Generation" (styled "Genera+ion") that featured the use of real-life cat carcasses.

The show, which was executive produced by Dunham, is said to be a hard-hitting and contemporary high school drama in the vein of "Euphoria," and the scene that was cut featured the show's actors during a biology class where they were asked to dissect the animals.

In the statement obtained by People, Dunham said: "I am committed in my life and work to the principled, humane and ethical treatment of animals. I don't use animal cadavers in any of my work, ever, and I was not on set or aware that they were used in a recently shot scene depicting a biology classroom assignment. I fully support the scene being edited out of the show."

Speculation about the use of real animal carcasses on the show began last week after an anonymous Twitter account, which claimed to have knowledge of the show's production, tweeted about the dissection scene.

"Got word from a friend in the industry, HBO has a new show called Generation coming out. It's produced by Lena Dunham and earlier this week they brought in real dead kittens for background to 'dissect' on set. No warning, people had trauma responses," the tweet read.

The Twitter user continued to say that a camera operator working on the show also tested positive for COVID-19. The tweet said: "As a cherry on top of their traumatic experience, at the wrap of day two they were informed one of the camera men tested positive for COVID. That should have been disclosed earlier, but they clearly wanted their shots of these kittens."

HBO later responded to the tweets in a statement sent to Variety where it confirmed that animal specimens were used on-set and revealed that two acting extras quit the show due to discomfort with the dissection scene.

The statement read: "'Genera+ion' depicts the unfiltered experiences of high school students and is drawn from many formative moments in the lives of the show's writers. The production recently filmed scenes depicting a biology classroom assignment involving dissection of animal specimens. These were ethically sourced in consultation with American Humane via a biological supply company that works with schools.

"Everyone involved was informed in advance that this would be a sensitive scene involving a real dissection; the assistant directors checked in regularly with all participants onset, and two background actors who expressed discomfort were released with full pay. However, after subsequent discussion with the creative team, the scene is being reconceived and will not appear in the series. We deeply regret that this occurred."