mommy dearest

by Lizzy Epstein

I first glimpsed gamine actress Amanda Peet in 2001 at the Saving Silverman premiere. I was just starting out as a reporter and Peet, decked-out in an elegant Prada ensemble, stopped by my spot and was more than patient while I fumbled through our interview. Nine years later, Peet is as gracious, not to mention stylish, as ever. Recently, a pregnant Peet, complete with the requisite bun-in-the-oven glow, floated in to Smashbox studios on a bright sunny morning; APC nautical striped sweater slung around her waist and daughter Frances in tow for her Signature cover shoot.

While bringing a toddler to work would be a challenge for even the most mindful of mothers, let alone those expecting the birth of their second child, Peet was nothing but smiles as she and little Frances giggled and chatted about Mary Poppins.

Peet's professionalism and charm have served her well. While most actresses never make it past the ingénue stage, relegated to playing a handful of girlfriend roles before hanging up their hats - never to be seen or heard from again - Peet's career has only blossomed. And really, it's a testament to her talent.

In her 15-plus year career, Peet has wowed us on both the silver and small screens, appearing in films such as Igby Goes Down, Melinda and Melinda, and Syriana, as well television shows such as Jack and Jill and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Oh, and somewhere in her busy schedule, she also found the time to fall in love with screenwriter David Benioff (Brothers, 25th Hour), get hitched, and give birth to Frances.

In 2010, Peet shows no signs of slowing down. Her latest film, Please Give, written and directed by Nicole Holofcener (Lovely and Amazing, Walking and Talking) is a tale of the trials and tribulations of upper-middle class New Yorkers dealing with love, betrayal, and real estate; all the while standing on some shaky moral ground.

Peet plays Mary, a cynical aesthetician and tanning aficionado, who has an affair with a married man. Given Mary's vanity and romantic designs on a "taken" man, it might be easy to pinpoint Mary as despicable - a characterization Peet is keen to deflect. According to Peet, the appeal of Holofcener's writing is that "she never writes one-dimensional characters. She writes characters that are familiar and relatable and she made Mary complicated and funny."

Getting cast in Please Give was a serious coup for Peet who "begged the director to put me in her movie. I auditioned once for ‘Lovely and Amazing,' laughed the self-deprecating Peet, "but I was god-awful. I'm very lucky that she considered me for anything after that debacle."

In addition to Please Give, Peet also has Gulliver's Travels slated for release this year. "I play a travel editor who sends Jack Black to Liliput and then has to go and find him because he doesn't turn in his assignment," she said. When asked if planned on taking her daughter to see the light-hearted romp, Peet smiled. "Maybe not quite when it comes out. Maybe when she's six."

Travel plans may also be in the works for Peet; though they've been put on hold until the stork's arrival. Turns out the actress has recently become involved with the Red Cross and, "was hoping to observe a measles campaign." Though such involvement usually means traveling to hot-button areas, Peet isn't deterred. "I had hoped to go to Bangladesh or to Uganda, but I have to wait until I can get inoculated."

Of course, Peet's most important event of the year will be the birth of her second child. "My upcoming project is the deuce," she said pointing to her belly. "This is the deuce. We're calling the baby the deuce for now. Our friends called their second baby the deuce and we stole their nickname because we thought it was funny."

While two movies in the works would have most actresses running ragged, Peet is playing it cool - preferring instead to "waddle about getting ready for the deuce and hanging out with Frankie (Peet's nickname for Frances)." Having the sort of flexible schedule that allows Peet the time to spend with her daughter is a mixed blessing, though one Peet is grateful for; "I always complain about how erratic and unstructured my world is, but secretly I like it," mused Peet adding, "Both the complaining and the lifestyle."

So how is mommy-and-me time spent in Peet's world? According to Peet, her family can oft be found kicking it at Joan's on Third - Los Angeles' answer to Dean and Deluca. "We should just live at Joan's on Third," raved Peet. "Basically, I have to keep working to help support our Joan's on Third habit." When asked about family faves, Peet practically rattled off the entire menu. "Well, we all have our things we get. It's a little scary. Everything from the hummus to the butter beans to the salads to the turkey meatloaf to the deserts. Don't even get me started."

How else does Peet and co. spend their downtime? If I were Frances, I would be over the moon about having first dibs on Peet's exquisite wardrobe, but Peet maintains that her daughter isn't "overly girly, not compared with how I was. She does like to put on my high heels which is really funny because some of them are really lethal."

Apparently, Frances did inherit her mother’s talent for make-believe just minus the glamour girl routine. “It just doesn’t involve clothes and make-up. It usually involves a taller fork and a smaller fork, a taller string bean and a smaller string bean, a big sister and a little sister,” said Peet.

Which, of course, begs the question, Is Frances looking forward to becoming a big sister? "I don't think she fully understands the rude awakening that's in her future," explained Peet. "But she's excited. David told her she could talk to the baby through my belly-button." 

PHOTOGRAPHED BY HELLIN KAY
STYLED BY TARA SWENNEN AT THE WALL GROUP
MAKEUP BY CHRISTY COLEMAN AT THE WALL GROUP
HAIR BY MICHELLE FIONA