Amanda Peet Finds Joy in Playing Both Intimate and Life Changes at 54 in ‘Your Friends & Neighbors’
In Season 2 of *Your Friends & Neighbors*, Amanda Peet is relishing her role as Mel Cooper, a character that resonates on multiple levels.
Peet expressed her appreciation for the show’s creator and showrunner, Jonathan Tropper, stating that it is “really nice” to have him write her sex scenes and address topics such as perimenopause at the age of 54. “Thank goodness it’s less taboo to talk about now,” she said in an interview with Glamour. Peet described her own experiences, acknowledging the challenges that come with this stage of life. “It was actually really fun—and very real—that Jonathan Tropper put it into Mel’s storyline,” she added, noting Mel’s impulsive car-keying incident from the previous season, which Peet found relatable during her own struggles over the past few years.
Peet highlighted a growing awareness around perimenopause, saying, “A lot of people are going into more depth about it, so it’s easier to understand. People are believing women a little bit more about what perimenopause is like, so I think Tropper was interested in making it funny and a little bit dangerous and fucked up, which are all really fun things to play.”
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In the latest season, Mel’s first-date encounter takes an unexpected turn when she experiences vaginal dryness, a symptom of perimenopause.
Reflecting on her character’s storylines, Peet said, “As a 54-year-old woman, it is really nice that my boss writes me sex scenes and he writes about menopause—both.”
The new episodes of Season 2 are available for streaming on Fridays and feature Peet alongside Jon Hamm, Olivia Munn, Lena Hall, and Aimee Carrero, with James Marsden joining the cast this season.
