Sasheer Zamata Reflects on the Impact of Jen and ‘Agatha All Along’

Agatha All Along is one of the boldest and best projects Marvel has put out in years. It should come as no surprise, really, considering much of the team was also involved in WandaVision, its Emmy-winning predecessor. The show revolves around Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn), who travels to the Witches’ Road on a quest to regain her power after being snapped out of Wanda Maximoff’s (Elizabeth Olsen) spell. Much to her dismay, however, she can’t do it alone, joined by her clueless next-door neighbor (Debra Jo Rupp), obsessive ex (Aubrey Plaza), a goth teenager (Joe Locke), a goth nepo baby (Ali Ahn), a wispy and kooky psychic (Patti LuPone), and an ethically questionable beauty guru (Sasheer Zamata).

It’s a show that’s as dark and poignant as it is fun and hilarious, thanks in no small part to Zamata’s layered performance as Jennifer Kale. Having appeared on several seasons of Saturday Night Live, her extensive comedy background easily makes Jen one of the funniest characters. But the show also allows her to flex her impressive dramatic chops as a woman desperately trying to regain the power she’s had cruelly ripped from her for the past 100 years. Already winning a Breakthrough Performance Award at the Critics’ Choice Celebration of LGBTQ+ Cinema & Television, Zamata should also be in series Emmy contention.

Collider got the chance to speak to Zamata about what a future for Jen could look like in the MCU, why she feels this show and character have touched people so deeply, the most challenging scenes to film, and more.

‘Agatha All Along’s Sasheer Zamata Breaks Down Jen’s Past

COLLIDER: I want to start with some questions about Jen’s background. She’s obviously been living in New Jersey when we meet her — do you think she’s a New Jersey native, or where do you think she grew up?

SASHEER ZAMATA: Oh, interesting. Where do I think she grew up? I don’t actually know. She’s been living for a long time, so I think she’s been in multiple places — according to the show, she spent some time in Boston; in the comics, the character’s from Florida — but I don’t know what this version of Jen’s life looked like before we met her in the show. She does have a lot of East Coast vibes to me, especially Northeast vibes. She’s very quick, not that patient. I kind of associate that with New England or New York or something like that.

You mentioned that she has been alive for a long time. I’m curious if it was ever discussed how old she was. I imagine her as obviously being younger than Lilia and probably Agatha but also older than Alice.

ZAMATA: I think that’s right. I think that is like the actual order of our ages. I don’t know how old that makes her, though. I think she’s maybe a couple hundred years old but not as old as Lilia or Agatha.

Is there any background that you and maybe Jac made up for Jen that perhaps didn’t make it into the show but that was really important for you and your performance in this?

ZAMATA: I think we’ve discussed what happened to Jen along the way that made her so cynical and distrusting of people and witches. Being kicked out of the medical community and losing her joy of midwifery was a huge factor. Losing her actual powers was a huge factor. I think the idea of her feeling like an outsider consistently and feeling unwelcome in the community that she actually had value in before added to this person who is very hardened and jaded and a lone wolf, essentially.

Speaking of that, Jen and Agatha have this long, tense history. I’m curious if you talked about when and where they might have first crossed paths. Where did these two meet? Where did this beef begin?

ZAMATA: We were curious about that, too. It was a very fun rapport for Kathryn and me to play. We have obviously run into each other a few times, and I’m sure Jen has heard rumors about Agatha or heard stories about her just being the worst and not nice to people. Also, Jen can be a little bit righteous and a rule follower, and Agatha’s so not that. She breaks all the rules. I would imagine there were many times when they either crossed paths or just didn’t like each other’s vibe. And then, unfortunately, they actually need to work together at this moment in time.

Worst group project ever.

ZAMATA: Exactly.

‘Agatha All Along’s Sasheer Zamata Speculates What a Scene Between Jen and Ghost Agatha Would Look Like

Jen is sort of the final girl of the series, which is very exciting, and Agatha is dead but also a ghost, so she’s still hanging around. What do you think the first interaction between them post-show might look like?

ZAMATA: Oh, boy. Yeah, Jen doesn’t know what happened after she left. She doesn’t know that Billy created the Road. She doesn’t know that Agatha’s a ghost. I think seeing Agatha as a ghost, she’d probably be exasperated and be like, “Are you kidding me? You’re still not gone? After all of that? Just die, girl. Get out of here.” I think she’d be frustrated.

I also don’t know how she would feel if she found out that Billy made the Road. She might just be like, “All of that? We did all of that, and we didn’t have to?” But also, the fact that she got her powers out of this experience I think makes it worth it for her.

I’m curious what you think her and Billy’s dynamic could look like after this if they got over the whole Road situation. Could you see them being friends? Do you think she could be a mentor to him?

ZAMATA: I think, throughout the Road, Jen was kind of looking out for Billy. I think everyone was looking out for Billy because he’s Teen, and I think she wants him to be safe and use his powers for good. So yeah, I could see Jen running into Billy and hopefully giving some words of wisdom and some guidance because Jen’s been a witch for a long time, and Billy’s new to this.

They definitely have a lot to get over with the whole him making the Road situation. What do you think he and Agatha would have to do to get into Jen’s good graces after this?

ZAMATA: I don’t even know. I think it’s possible Jen might even be like, “You know what? I’m glad you guys made it out, and good luck with everything, but I cannot be around you anymore. You bring nothing but bad luck.”

‘Agatha All Along’s Sasheer Zamata Weighs in on Jen and Alice Shippers and Nicky’s Parentage

I’m not sure if you’re aware, but there are quite a few people who ship Jen and Alice. Their ship name is Bloodpotions, which I think is such an adorable little name.

ZAMATA: Whoa, I didn’t know that!

If Alice hadn’t tragically passed on the Road, could you have seen a potential romance blossoming between them?

ZAMATA: Oh, I don’t know! Everyone was so focused on actually surviving. I don’t know if there was enough thought to go into crushes on the Road, but I definitely liked seeing the bond that was growing between Jen and Alice. It was such an interesting arc for both of those characters, having Alice loosen up her hard exterior to be open to this journey and open to having people help her and her helping other people. And then same with Jen. Jen begrudgingly went on this journey, and she eventually started getting to the point where she was actually starting to like the people that were around her, and Alice is definitely one of those people. Alice’s death was a huge loss and, I think, a wake-up call to the coven that, “Oh, wow — any of us could go, and also, we can’t actually trust everyone in this coven.” Seeing Alice go is like, “Oh, we lost one of the good ones and also a potential friend.” That was super sad to Jen and made her realize the stakes that were at hand here.

You sort of broke this fandom at PaleyFest by saying your favorite fan theory was Rio being Nicky’s father. People went insane over that. Why was that a theory that was so exciting to you?

ZAMATA: I just felt like it was an interesting thought because who knows? That question wasn’t answered in the show, and I think it’s cool that it wasn’t answered because it’s not really necessary to know biologically how this child came about. Agatha’s magic. Childbirth is magic. It’s just magic, so that’s how Nicky got here. But the fans rooting for the Agathario ship so hard, it was an interesting question to be like, “Oh, could Rio be Nicky’s dad?” Honestly, I was fascinated with so many of the fan theories. They were really hunting for clues, and there were so many clues that were actually planted, so I’m glad that they found some. I’m glad they found some that I didn’t even notice. It was really fascinating to be a part of a show that was so dissected and analyzed and theorized. It was really exciting.

Sasheer Zamata Discusses the Massive Fan Response to ‘Agatha All Along’

I want to ask about PaleyFest because the reception there — the energy in that room — was incredible. That fanbase is so passionate. What was it like to be on that stage, in particular? I mean, you’re in the Dolby Theater too. That’s crazy.

ZAMATA: It was really crazy. So many people came, and there was so much love in that room, and it’s really amazing to see so many fans in person. You hear positive reception online, or you pass by people who are saying, “Oh, I love the show,” but it was so cool to be in a room where collectively we all agree that this is a really awesome experience. It feels really wonderful because we also worked so hard on this show, and we loved creating it, and we loved the product that we made. It just feels really satisfying to know that a lot of other people feel the same way, too.

Jen means so much to people. Is there one particular fan response or comment that has been the most memorable or rewarding for you?

ZAMATA: Actually, yeah. I got a lot from Jen, and I think seeing people who describe Jen’s femininity and how powerful it was to see her in a dress and heels wearing all pink but still being a very powerful witch was eye-opening. I think sometimes female power gets displayed in a certain way, or just power in general, and it’s nice to see a different type of look for that — and see a Black woman play a very feminine, girly character but still be very powerful. And also one who is taking care of her coven but also really taking care of herself, putting herself first. That’s not necessarily how we often see Black women portrayed on screen. We see a lot of Black women who are sacrificing themselves in order to take care of everyone around them, and the fact that Jen is out for herself — sometimes selfishly but also out of self-preservation; she’s like, “I need to make it out of here” — I think that’s a needed representation, and I think a welcomed representation.

This show has always felt so important regarding the people it represents, but it does feel a little bit more crucial at this moment just with where we are in our country. Can you talk about what the importance of art like this is right now specifically?

ZAMATA: I think what this show provides is a safe space where people can feel like themselves. This was a coven of witches who are all very different — different races, different backgrounds, different ages, different genders — and yet, they were able to come together and feel like a team and feel safe with each other. I hope that art keeps getting made to make people feel safe and seen. I think it’s important for people to feel revived. And honestly, I felt that a couple of times. The fact that we’re in a strange time doesn’t mean that the representation is gone. The people are still making something. We’re still creating things for each other to inspire each other — and hopefully inspire each other to action. I just hope that keeps happening and that we keep serving ourselves and serving each other and loving what we see.

Sasheer Zamata Reveals ‘Agatha All Along’s Most Difficult Scenes to Shoot

You have to do some truly wild, intense stuff in the show. I know you’ve talked about the physical challenges of that mud, but I’m curious if there was a scene you were most nervous about or intimidated by emotionally, and did that ultimately end up being the most challenging for you?

ZAMATA: Definitely when I got my powers back. That was a really raw, emotional moment. And I knew it was coming because that was also one of my audition scenes, but I didn’t understand when I was auditioning what it meant because there were so many holes that they weren’t giving me. We shot it closer to the end of production, so I had already gone through this whole journey with Jen, and so I was feeling it — feeling this loss of not having this power and also feeling jealous seeing other people around me who had power or were regaining their power. Being in a place where it’s like, “Okay, there’s actually hope here. I can possibly get it back.” I think a lot of people can relate to feeling powerless and feeling like they’ve lost something, and it was really moving to be able to put that into a scene like that. And Kathryn is also so wonderful to play with and such a giving scene partner, so she made it really easy for me to feel supported in that moment. Yeah, I felt a lot doing that.

You’ve discussed how you were excited that the show allowed you to play with some more dramatic moments. How do you think your comedy background helped prepare you to go to those places?

ZAMATA: I do think, as comedians, we are able to assess people’s emotions and assess culture pretty well. We’re the observers. So even if I haven’t always been able to portray certain emotions on screen, I know how to access them because I am aware of them. I do think comedians are actors who can be good at drama because we have to tap into a lot of emotions in order to connect with an audience or get an audience to feel empathetic to the stories that we’re telling. And it’s just fun. It’s just fun to be able to show my range and stretch my bounds and be able to do something that people don’t expect from me.

People are really hungry for more Jen, and people really want an Agatha All Along Season 2. I’m not going to ask you if there’s going to be one because I know you wouldn’t be able to tell me even if you did know, so instead, I’m going to ask if there are any specific deleted scenes you would be excited for people to see when it inevitably comes out on DVD.

ZAMATA: I feel like most things made it. We had such a short shooting period that everything was very efficient, and we shot the things that were gonna be in the show. There are probably jokes that we tried to get in there but then being edited out felt right because, even though the show is funny, there’s a lot of heaviness to it and drama that I think maybe would have been undercut if there were too many jokes. Even though there are many moments that were funny that got cut, I think that’s perfectly fine.

In terms of bloopers, was there a specific scene that you guys just could not get through because the comedy was so heavy in it?

ZAMATA: When Agatha was “possessed” — when she was pretending to be Mrs. Hart when we’re doing the Ouija board scene — that was very funny. I mean, Kathryn has a pretty good Sharon Davis impression and then also was being more physical — standing up, shaking her head, and spinning around pretending to be possessed. It was really hard to keep it together watching her do that because she was also right in front of us.

I know you’re going to be in Masters of the Universe, which is so exciting. What can you tease about that character and where you are in the process of shooting that?

ZAMATA: I have no idea what I can tease. [Laughs] But I finished shooting it. I think they’re still shooting the movie, but my part is done. It’s very fun, and that one — for me — is actually more comedy, which is my wheelhouse, so it was very fun to do. Everyone is such a joy to work with on that set. I truly had a blast doing it, and I also can’t wait to see it.

Agatha All Along is available to stream on Disney+.

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