Amanda Peet Hopes Sharing Breast Cancer Diagnosis Creates ‘Community’ (Exclusive)

Amanda Peet sat down with “Extra’s” Mona Kosar Abdi to talk “Your Friends & Neighbors” Season 2.

Speaking about her character Mel, Peet teased, "Mel is a mess. I mean, I'm not gonna lie. She’s a mess. And I think it was really exciting because Jonathan Tropper decided to write her a story that takes off when she realizes she's in menopause. And since I'm going through my own version of that… It’s fun to go to work and be able to just kind of let it rip.”

Amanda added that this is a new chapter for Mel, who gave up her career to raise her kids. Now, they are going off to college at the same time she feels like she’s losing her looks.

Peet said, “She kind of becomes a little bit of an adolescent… just going off the rails."

She also raved over co-star Jon Hamm, who plays her ex-husband. She said of working together again, “It's so special. I love him. He's so fun and such a gentleman, and I couldn't be luckier.”

James Marsden is also joining the cast as a rich new neighbor named Owen.

“Everyone's talking about it as like he's kind of like a disruptor,” she said.

Plus, Amanda, who just revealed she was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer in the fall of 2025, said she’s "doing well.”

Mona told her that she certainly has saved lives by sharing her story because it saves lives.

Peet replied, "Thank you so much for saying that. Yeah... or even just bringing comfort to people or… creating a community around it is probably helpful. I know I needed one badly right away when I found out.”

Mona also spoke with her co-stars Olivia Munn and James Marsden.

Olivia, who also battled breast cancer, said of Amanda, "I'm just so happy for her that she found it so incredibly early.”

Munn added, “It was like at one of the earliest stages you can find breast cancer and so she's able avoid so many of the big challenging parts of this journey, like she didn't have to go through the big surgeries and all the intense treatments and it was found early which means that it reinforces that early detection saves lives.”

James also teased his character Owen, saying, “He's this larger than-life uber wealthy guy who shows up... driving a McLaren… you know, comes in like a tornado into Westmont Village… but charmingly so like he’s got a big smile on his face. Very, very positive energy and kind of wants to see what this place is all about."