Clara Mamet on the 'Yummy' New Alien Comedy The Neighbors and Her Playwriting Ambitions

Actress and playwright Clara Mamet has found herself in the company of some out of this world co-stars for her first series regular job on the new ABC sitcom The Neighbors. Mamet plays Amber Weaver, the teenaged daughter of a family who moves to a secluded and well-to-do neighborhood in New Jersey, only to find it is entirely populated by aliens. 

“It’s totally different," Mamet recently told Broadway.com of the show, which combines comedy and science fiction. "It's a fun genre. We just have a fuzzy, yummy, smashing good time."

While Mamet is happy to be working on the show, her angst-ridden character isn't necessarily known for cracking smiles. Mamet admitted Amber is “kind of mean,” but also is simply “trying to find her world to live in.” This sort of teen expression is something Mamet herself is all too familiar with. “I went through that when I was about 13,” she said. Mamet, now 18, expressed gratitude to no longer be able to relate to Amber's attitude. "Hopefully I'm out of the woods, but I can remember it well enough."

Mamet’s sense of maturity comes not only from age, but also perhaps from her accomplishments on stage. Like her father David Mamet, she is also a playwright. Her plays Paris and The Solvit Kids were staged at Santa Monica's Ruskin Group Theatre last spring. So what's the most valuable piece of industry advice her accomplished father had for her? “Show up on time!” Mamet plans to continue writing as she works on The Neighbors, and feels very lucky to have found her calling at such a young age. ”It's such a blessing. To not know what you want to do is scary, so I keep writing!"

The Neighbors airs Wednesdays on ABC. Watch the latest episode below!