Sasheer Zamata is casting spells within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and we’re already bewitched by her power. In Agatha All Along, Zamata portrays Jennifer Kale, a potions expert who reluctantly joins Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) and her coven on a quest to the Witches’ Road as they face the witches trials to regain their magic.
The character of Kale isn’t queer, but Zamata herself has recently come out as a “late-life lesbian.” She has had an extensive career portraying queer characters in TV (Home Economics, Woke, Tuca & Bertie) and film (The Mitchells vs. The Machines). Upon the airing of Agatha‘s fourth episode, Zamata and I spoke on a Zoom call and discussed everything from doing her own stunts to the type of witch she would want to be.
Rendy: Congratulations on Agatha. You’re so good in it. I was also watching your stand up special The First Woman to prep, so I want to start off with the question, between both projects, where did your affinity for witches stem from?
Sasheer: I think I was always fascinated by people who are magically inclined, but I don’t really know where it stems from. I was just a fan of witch lore and witch history. And in my standup I do like to deep dive into historical matters and there was this trend of women being cast aside or literally removed from society because of the label witch. I wanted string that together and find some through lines with my life today. And it was so funny that I was already doing that research on my own before I even got asked to audition for Agatha All Along. It was very kismet that I had this interest and then got asked to be a part of a show that’s about witches. I got to work with people who also liked geeking out about the history of witches and how they have been categorized and portrayed in media and in history.
Rendy: When you got the role, did you research the character of Jennifer Kale or go back into the rabbit hole of witches?
Sasheer: A little bit of both, yeah. I did want to know what Jennifer Kale was like in the comics. I wasn’t aware of the character before I got the role, but then I did some digging and found that she’s kind of popping in and out throughout the Marvel universe. And what’s great about the MCU is they’re able to morph characters that they take from the comics into whatever is needed for their shows or their movies. We really formed a different version of Jennifer Kale. The producers wanted her to have more of a science-y background and be a healer and use potions and use her environment around her to create the magic. So I did some digging into women in the medical field, women as healers, and women as midwives. And how midwives got labeled as witches, and all that history. It is really fascinating to see the evolution of what a healer has looked like in our culture. I’m excited for people to see what we’ve done with the character in the show.
Rendy: How was playing with your costuming? The moment you strut onto the scene wearing that pink coat juxtaposed against everyone’s dark fits, I was like, okay, she got this.
Sasheer: Yeah, I mean, I love pink. It’s funny. I didn’t really incorporate a lot of pink in my wardrobe as myself, but now that I’ve worn pink so much in this show, I actually really like it. And I was doing research on the color pink. Everything means something in the show and pink usually is kind of categorized as girly or feminine or youthful, but back in the day in the 1800s, men were wearing pink the most and it was a very manly color and a very strong color. So I like thinking of Jennifer’s pink as the strength she is presenting to the world. The costumes really did help inform the character I was creating. That coat you just mentioned, there were no sleeves, it was like a cape. So I had to kind of stick my arms out like a little dinosaur, and it changed my posture and added this level of poise. And then she likes wearing tall boots and heels and that changes the way I walk. So I really do feel like the costumes helped me form the mannerisms that Jennifer has in the show.
Rendy: What was the camaraderie between the entire cast like?
Sasheer: Oh, it was great. It’s still great. We have a coven group text chain and it’s fun to have with so many talented and supportive and attuned people. And I think we’re all a little witchier since we’ve done this project. I really enjoy this group. We had a lot of fun making this show and we’re all really, really proud of it. I think you can tell everyone really cares about this show.
Rendy: When it came to playing against a coven, were you aware of all the different factions and different types of witches?
Sasheer: I dunno if I really thought about it before, but I like how many different types of witches we see in this show. You have divination protection, witch potions, there’s so many different types of witches and we’re being portrayed by so many different types of people. We have so many different ages in this covenant, different races. And it’s cool because even though we all have different backgrounds when we’re together as a coven, it really does feel like a unit. It feels like a team that’s meant to be. And it’s so cool to see that unfold in the show and I hope people watch it thinking there’s a little bit of magic in themselves too.
Rendy: Four episodes in, the show is getting… how does one say progressively more queer? And I wanted to know what it was like being part of this big MCU queer project because representation within it has kind of blegh.
Sasheer: Yeah, I think people have been excited to see queerness in the MCU. Not everything in the comics is a direct map of what’s happening in reality, but a little bit of art does reflect life and vice versa. And there are queer people in our lives and in our society. To be able to see that on screen and see that in a show like this is really cool. I hope people are able to connect to it whether they’re queer or not, because this is a show for everyone. But also I do hope people who haven’t felt seen in many different media platforms do feel seen in this one.
Rendy: Now that you have a wider witch knowledge, have you ever deciphered what type of witch you would want to be?
Sasheer: Ooh, what type of witch would I want to be? I do like the idea of being a potions witch, being a healer. It’s very cool to be able to know so much about nature and what you could potentially use. I feel like my mom is like that. There’s knowledge that a lot of women have of like, oh, you’re sick, so eat some pineapple or eat some ginger, or you have a cut, get some aloe vera. It feels very inherent, but it’s cool. It is magic to be able to reach for something and use it to heal. So yeah, I think I would stick with that.
Rendy: Now that you have come out publicly — congratulations on that by the way — I wanted to know how your roles helped inform your queer identity.
Sasheer: Yeah, I’ve actually played a lot of queer roles. On Home Economics, on Woke, bit parts here and there, Tuca & Bertie. I’ve already been doing this, so I think it’s cool that people now know a little bit more about me and know that the person who is playing these characters is also living this lifestyle. I hope that people are connecting to the work that I’m doing, because I’m an actor and I can play many different parts, but it’s nice when I get to play something that feels very familiar to me. And I hope people are also feeling a little more seen with the work that I do.
Rendy: What are some different genres that you haven’t tackled before that you really want to do? You’ve done so much already. I even have the Blu-Ray of The Weekend in my collection.
Sasheer: Oh man.
Rendy: So I’m like, oh, maybe we could get you in a queer rom-com in a lead role? Let’s see how that goes.
Sasheer: I would absolutely love that. The Weekend was so fun to do and I would love to do more romantic comedies. I would love to be the queer Julia Roberts. I’m in 100%. I also want to do more action stuff. I’ve gotten a taste with this show, but would love to be a badass, kick an ass in some sort of way. I am open to everything, but I am definitely excited for people to see what I do in this show and hopefully that inspires more and more opportunities in other ways.
Rendy: Did you get to do your own stunt work within the series?
Sasheer: I did, yeah. We also had an amazing stunt team as well, but we did get to do a lot of stunts ourselves, which was really fun. I haven’t been asked to do that in any other project. So to be able to learn fight choreography or do certain things with effects, it is just a very cool and a whole other world for me.
Rendy: What kind of work did that entail? Did you have to do a lot of studying with the fight choreography?
Sasheer: Yeah, the stunt coordinators would come and for whatever a specific thing was we would have to train. But compared to other Marvel things, I don’t think it was that intense. One thing that’s nice about this show is that witches can look and be like anything. We can be kind of ourselves so we don’t have to be like these buff fit superheroes. We can just be a witch and then if we happen to be physical in any kind of way, that’s a fun surprise. But yeah, I think our training is probably a little different than other things.
Rendy: What should fans expect in the upcoming weeks as the story progresses along? Is there anything you could tease? Just a little bit…
Sasheer: I mean, a lot of fun looks. There’s so many more fun looks that are going to happen. It’s really cool to see each character’s version of that world as we go from trial to trial. Yeah, I’ll say that.
Agatha All Along is streaming on Disney+.
I love her on Agatha All Along, my favourite witch of the coven! Thanks for this interview!