Mamie Gummer, the 29-year-old daughter of Oscar winning actress Meryl Streep and the sculptor Don Gummer, is looking to do things her way. The actress, who made her movie debut with a part in 'Heartburn' opposite her mother, is headlining her first television series.

Medical drama 'Emily Owens M.D.' premieres on the CW on Tuesday (October 16, 2012) and has courted gentle praise for its pilot episode. Gummer seems pretty confident of her own ability, telling the Los Angeles Times, "I've been the star of my own show forever - it's just now people can tune in once a week to watch me," though maintained that the media buzz surrounding her first major show "is weird." In 'Emily Owens,' Gummer plays a shy medical student who suddenly realizes the hospital she works in is far too similar to her high school. "She was just sort of jumping around the page and at me," Gummer said of her character. "It felt like a great opportunity to carry a show for myself - to play on a bigger level." Though it's her first major television role, the actress has had plenty of time to hone her talents, appearing onstage in 'Mr Marmalade' and 'The Water's Edge' as well as landing a small role in HBO's 2008 Emmy-winning miniseries 'John Adams.'

Despite the millions of dollars that her mother commands for lead Hollywood roles, Gummer has an altogether different approach to the acting game: "I'm not going to lie to you. The last play I did in New York, I got paid $330 a week," she revealed. If 'Emily Owens' takes off, we're pretty sure her pay-packet will be considerably heftier.