SNL alum and soon-to-be Marvel star Sasheer Zamata has come out in the most effortlessly casual way while promoting her latest role. In a new interview, the actress discusses privacy, how Hollywood influenced her coming out late in life and how she looks forward to queer excellence in Marvel’s Agatha All Along.
Zamata—a cast member on SNL from 2014-17 who has starred in Hulu’s Woke and ABC’s Home Economics—has been out with friends and family for years, and she has even casually referenced her sexuality in interviews. But now, she’s ready to get fully candid.
“I’m out in my life and I do keep my personal life kind of private, but I also don’t necessarily want my identity to be private,” Zamata explained in an interview with Them. “I guess I’m one of those late-in-life lesbians. I just feel very comfortable and confident in my life.”
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Apparently, her casting directors were always onto something. “I kept getting cast as queer women,” she recalled. “I played a lesbian on Home Economics. I played a lesbian on Woke. I played a lesbian on Tuca & Bertie. A lesbian on Last O.G. I kept getting these roles. And this is before I myself was figuring out my identity. I was like, ’Whoa, what are these casting directors seeing that I’m not seeing?’”
But jokes aside, a big part of her awakening came with getting off of birth control for the first time since she was 16. “It really did kind of change everything,” Zamata said. “I cut all my hair off. And I was always attracted to women, but I think [that] really boosted it.”
After coming out to friends, Zamata at first was planning to keep her personal life out of her public persona. It wasn’t until she started putting new stand-up material together that she realized she’d have to go out of her way to avoid queer references, which felt like a step back into the closet.
“No one asks straight people about their journey of discovery but I guess it felt like if I didn’t say anything, I’d be ignoring a part of me, and that doesn’t feel very good,” Zamata said. “But yeah, I’ve definitely had thoughts of, not necessarily keeping it a secret, but [that] there’s no need to say anything about it.”
But even after coming out, Zamata plans to maintain boundaries for her privacy. “As far as what people deserve to know? Nothing. They don’t deserve anything,” she said. “I feel very fortunate so far. I have fans who are good about respecting my privacy, and I hope that continues. And I hope artists like Chappell Roan who are very clear about boundaries keep going.”
Although the upcoming Wandavision spinoff, Agatha All Along, is full of queer stars and general vibes, Zamata is taking the burden of representation in stride. “I don’t want to be the representative of anything,” she said. “I just got here. But I do want to be a part of the community.”
With that said, she’s looking forward to the way the series could resonate with queer audiences. “I think what this show is going to do is also open up the door to a whole new fan base of people who maybe didn’t see themselves before in the Marvel Universe,” she said. “I hope people watch it and can see a little bit of themselves in it.”
