Mae Whitman: 'Being a Teenager is Hard'

Mae Whitman shines in a silver strapless dress at the NBC Upfront in NYC last month.

The 23-year-old actress dished to TV Line about playing a teenager on Parenthood.

“While the things Amber went through were unpleasant or can be seen as selfish, it’s really real stuff,” she said, “Being a teenager is hard. One of the things I love about this show is that every family can sit down at the end of an episode and talk about it. It’s important that we’re tackling these issues. This season we were very, very emotional, so it was hard. But again, things aren’t hard if they make sense.”

Mae is also very excited about starring in the upcoming flick The Perks of Being a Wallflower with Logan Lerman and Emma Watson.

“It’s so realistic, beautiful and painful, and it’s one of the only coming-of-age stories I’ve ever read that really summed up all of the most sensitive and guttural things you feel when you’re that age.” Mae said, “My wardrobe and makeup is out of control/amazing, and the music is awesome…. It’s just going to be a great visual picture, and the story is great. I’m really, really proud of it.”