Zosia Mamet arrived at the Bowery Hotel the other afternoon alone, on time and tattooed — proof, if anyone needed it, that she’s no Shoshanna, the frilly little filly she plays on “Girls.”
Nor is she much like Joyce, Peggy Olsen’s world-weary, boho lesbian friend on “Mad Men” — or, for that matter, Leigh, the troubled college girl Mamet portrays in Paul Downs Colaizzo’s “Really Really,” opening off-Broadway this week.
Rather, Zosia — rhymes with Sasha, only with a “Z” — is a chic descendant of show-business royalty: There’s “Glengarry Glen Ross” and more on father David’s side, and “The Sound of Music” on her mother’s. (Zosia’s mom and Mamet’s first wife, actress Lindsay Crouse, is the daughter of the legendary playwright, librettist and Hudson Theatre owner Russel Crouse.)
Over mint tea, the 25-year-old discussed “Girls,” fame and other four-letter words.
Let’s talk tattoos: You’ve got an anchor on one finger and what looks like an “M” underneath.
Yes, it’s an anchor. I grew up by the sea, I love it! This [the “M”] is a sort of made-up family seal. We’re showbiz Jews, so we don’t have a family seal. My dad kind of made up this thing. It’s supposed to be a flying M, but I took off the wings.
How un-Shoshanna! So is your “Really Really” character, Leigh. Is that what sold you on the part?
Absolutely! Leigh is a very damaged human. I sort of think of her as a wolf, an abused wolf. Some people can be disintegrated by the fact they’ve been abused. Others become exceptional fighters. Leigh is a master manipulator, which Shoshanna isn’t. Regardless of what Shoshanna does, she does it with the utmost sincerity.
The play is set at a college, a scene you skipped. Why?
I never thought I would go to college. Never! I’m a voracious reader, but I hated school. I was waiting to get out of school so my life could start. I spent my childhood backstage and on movie sets, and knew I wanted to spend my life there. Any second longer I had to spend in a classroom —
f–k that!
You sound like your father’s daughter, all right.
Yes! But my father was also the one who told me I needed to clean up my mouth or I’d never find a man. What’s very important to him is manners. Show up on time. Always send thank-you letters. He is one of the more thoughtful humans I’ve ever met. He’s a great man and a very good dad.
But is he a “Girls” fan?
He thinks it’s very funny. He called me up after my crack episode and left me a message: “Cha” — I couldn’t pronounce Zosia when I was little, so I called myself Cha-Cha, and it stuck — “Cha, I just watched the episode where you smoked crack. That’s one of the funniest moments in television history.” That sort of made my life!
Lena Dunham recently said that if she were to kill off anyone in “Girls,” it would be Shoshanna. How did that hit you?
We had our first two-show day [of “Really Really”] on Saturday, and I went to Whole Foods to feed myself. I was wandering around like a zombie when these two girls came up and said, “We’re such fans of the show! Wouldn’t it be funny if you didn’t have a job?” and I’m like, “What?” “Yeah,” they said. “You’re going to get killed off!” I e-mailed one of my writers and said, “Are you planning to kill me off?” She said no, and I said, “Good, because I’ve been dreaming about elevator shafts all night!”
A year ago you spoke about how you hated dating — that you’d rather read a good book.
There are some really damn good books out there, you know? I think feminism’s a bit misinterpreted. It was about casting off all gender roles. There’s nothing wrong with a man holding a door open for a girl. But we sort of threw away all the rules, so everybody’s confused. And dating becomes a sloppy, uncomfortable, unpleasant thing.
So no inter-cast dating for you at “Really Really,” co-starring the gorgeous Matt Lauria of “Friday Night Lights”?
No inter-cast dating! And Matt’s married! [Laughs.] But we all get along like a house on fire, and everyone’s so f–king talented!