The 29-year-old, who plays Shoshanna on the HBO series, writes of how an ex-boyfriend of hers made her feel guilty because of her flourishing career.
“I found myself comforting a man who had just told me my ambition, my dreams, my chosen path - EVERYTHING THAT I HAD BEEN WORKING TOWARDS SINCE I WAS A CHILD - was hurtful to him, that I was wrong for having these dreams, these hopes, these goals … and for working hard at them because that made me a bad girlfriend. Right?,” she shared.
She continued: “I wondered for a split second if he was right, if my ambition was somehow bad, if I was a selfish human for pursuing a career so wholeheartedly. He was a Director of Photography and was ALWAYS working, long hours, hopping from one job to the next, never taking a break in between.
“When I would express any desire to see him, he would scold me for me being needy, saying ‘Zosia. I'M WORKING,’ as if I was a slow child who somehow didn’t understand the importance of being professional. And God forbid I would tell him I missed him while he was working because that was just ‘added stress.’”
Mamet, who ended that relationship almost a decade ago, is currently married to Evan Jonigkeit.
The actress says she hopes by telling her story, she will encourage other women to know the value of their self-worth.
She penned: “I have since grown from a girl into a confident woman who knows my own worth, with a husband who wholly supports and encourages my dreams. Reflecting on my personal journey, I’ve come to realise the changes that can and need to happen both here at home and globally for women’s rights. I have a voice and I’m gonna use it as a megaphone.”
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