This article contains affiliate links; if you click such a link and make a purchase, we may earn a commission.Amanda Peet Answers Bazaar’s “First, Now, Next” Questionnaire

Andrea CuttlerFri, April 10, 2026 at 1:34 PM UTC

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Amanda Peet Is Saying No to FaceliftsPhoto: Joe Pugliese/Apple

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Amanda Peet has had a year—a year that was chronicled in a stunningly personal essay published in the New Yorker just a few weeks ago. In it she revealed the recent breast cancer diagnosis she received as both her mother and father were in their final days of life. If you’re familiar with Peet’s prior work, it will come as no surprise that the piece is infused with poignancy, love, hope, and a dash of sardonic wit.

This month, the actress, ever-present on our screens big and small since the mid-’90s, finds herself with a pair of hits on her hands. She returns as Mel Cooper in season two of Apple TV+’s Your Friends and Neighbors, and stars as Dianne Cohen in Matthew Shear’s Fantasy Life, in theaters now. While it shouldn’t be remarkable to see a 54-year-old actress play, well, 54-years-old—with all of its wonder and indignities—that’s exactly what it is. Peet brings a realism to each character that feels both whole and imperfect in a way that can only be described as lived-in.

Harper’s Bazaar’s newest questionnaire series, “First, Now, Next,” dives into the past, present, and future of some of our favorite creatives, spotlighting the moments and influences that have influenced them. Maybe it’s a curious time for Amanda Peet to be answering this questionnaire. Or maybe it’s as good a time as ever to look back, look ahead, and glean a bit of wisdom from someone who has more than a little to share.

What’s the first film that cracked something open in you?

The Blue Lagoon. My older sister got mono when we were about nine and eleven and my mom rented a Betamax player, and let us watch it. All my pre-pubescent fantasies were about me being really tan and stranded with Christopher Atkins.

Who was your first true friend in the industry?

Sarah Paulson. I had friends before but she’s the truest.

Have you had a failure that ended up changing your career?

I couldn’t land interesting roles once I hit my late thirties. All I could get were mom roles that had nothing to do with the levers of the plot. That’s what inspired me to spend more time writing.

What was the first project that made you take yourself seriously?

I was the first Jewish American girl to be cast as Saint George in Saint George and the Dragon at my school in London, so there was a lot riding on it.

Who was the first person/project to ever make you laugh really hard?

Sarah Paulson has, on occasion, made me laugh so hard that it crosses my mind that we should call an ambulance.

How did you define success at 16? How would you define it now?

At sixteen I thought that a good electrologist and losing my virginity would spell success. Now it’s a good electrologist and a clear colonoscopy.

What are you saying “no” to now? What are you saying “yes” to?

No to a facelift, yes to compulsive online shopping.

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What’s something your mom/dad did that drove you crazy but that you do now too?

My mom told me not to overpluck my eyebrows and now that’s what I tell my girls.

If you could only wear one outfit for the rest of your life and had to pull it out of your closet right now, what would you reach for?

My old plaid flannel Isabel Marant schmatte.

What was the last thing you splurged on? What is one thing you still refuse to spend a lot of money on?

Probably something at the Row. My friend calls me a “Row Ho” which is a fair accusation. I’m not into fancy cars. It’s probably a holdover from living in New York until I was 28. We got Frankie a 2019 VW Golf and now I drive it. It’s zippy and has a normal dashboard without too much tech. Also, it has two massive student driver stickers so I can be all over the road and nobody gives me any grief.

How did taking on the role of Dianne in Fantasy Life change you?

It reminded me that I love indie movies. A small company on a shoestring budget is the most fun way to do this.

What was the most surprising parallel between your own path and the character’s path?

We both were lucky enough to have beautiful, life-changing nannies (but I didn’t have an affair with mine).

What’s something you’ve learned from playing Mel on Your Friends & Neighbors that you’ve brought into your life off-screen?

My brilliant make up artist, Rebecca Perkins, gets me all the best, cutting-edge beauty products and this gives me fleeting moments of street cred with my teen daughters.

If you could collaborate with anyone next, who would it be and why?

David Benioff and D.B. Weiss but I’ll probably be dead by the time they write something for me.

What lesson from your current project do you think you’ll bring into your next project?

Can it be a person? Bob Balaban.

If you could single-handedly dictate the next big trend in culture, what would it be?

A pro-science trend. I was so moved by Tatiana Schlossberg’s essay in The New Yorker and still think about it every day. Part of her legacy will be that she called out this administration for propagating vaccine hesitancy and making cuts to medical research.

If you retired from your industry today, what would you do in your next act?

I never had a Bat Mitzvah. I want to do a B’nai Mitzvah with my son, Henry, but since he thinks I’m embarrassing I’ll probably have to do it on my own.

You wrote so poignantly about your recent cancer diagnosis and the passing of both your mother and father. Everything sort of happened all at once. How did these massive, life-altering events change how you think about—and actually experience—the present?

Doing radiation every day helped me slow down. The tech at the computer bay coached me over a loud speaker to take very deep breaths and hold. If my breath wasn’t deep enough she would make me do it again. (This keeps your organs farther away from the radiation “field.”) Even though the radiation room reminded me of Chernobyl it was good for me to do guided breathing every day. I’m trying to bring that with me.

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