“I am an avid reader! As for writing, I might—someday,” said Zosia Mamet a decade ago. It appears that day has come. Unlike her father, playwright David Mamet of Glengarry Glen Ross fame, Zosia has seen her career unfold on-screen rather than backstage. Her breakout role came as the much-beloved Shoshanna Shapiro, opposite Lena Dunham on Girls, which debuted in 2012. Since then, she’s starred in dark comedies such as The Decameron and The Flight Attendant. Now she’s writing her own jokes in a new autobiographical essay collection, Does This Make Me Funny? To celebrate, Zosia shares her key components to the good life. —Carolina de Armas
Airline: My own. That will never happen, but a girl can dream.
Airport: None. Airports are my personal hell.
App: One that could shrink my horse and my dog down—like the Jetsons’ car—so I could travel with them easily. Or one that could teleport me places.
Bag: A fanny pack that’s deceptively small but can fit all the essentials without having to play Tetris to get anything in or out.
Bedtime: Whenever I get sleepy. But preferably on the earlier side so I can get in bed and read until I fall asleep.
Birthday: Time with my besties, my hubs and my animals and a very, very low-key dinner, preferably in pajamas. Plus a hike or a ride—or both.
Car: Big, boxy, and powerful. I’m obsessed with my car.
Cocktail: A Cann weed seltzer, a very spicy margarita, or a glass of jammy red wine.
Date: Movie night with my main squeeze.
Diet: Is that a trick question?
Dress: Mini.
Drive: Up the California coastline with music blaring and windows down.
Family: Chosen.
Fit: Something incredibly comfortable that can pass for stylish.
Good-bye: None. I hate good-byes.
Insult: I’ll think of it a day after it’s needed.
Jacket: Vintage leather.
Last Meal: A burger with French fries, an icy-cold Coke Zero, and a huge piece of chocolate cake.
Lunch, weekday: A sandwich.
Lunch, weekend: It’s always a sandwich.
Match: Chocolate and peanut butter.
Piece of advice: “The best thing about a decision is you can always make another one.”
Ride: Horseback.
Spouse: Mine.
Storm: Big, loud, and windy but not strong enough to cause damage or take down power lines. I want to feel cozy. I don’t want to be without refrigeration.
Television series: The West Wing.
Time of day: Golden hour.
Toast: Toasted just enough so it is firm and ever so slightly crisp but not burned. Just out of the toaster, covered in butter and maybe jam. Or peanut butter and honey. Clearly, I think a lot about toast.
Vacation: A secluded beach with a stack of deliciously trashy books waiting to be read, and no cell service.
Wake-up time: No set time. No alarm clock. Nothing to do, so I can sleep as late as I want.
Zosia’s Essentials
