Confidence is an elusive target. Some days you feel like your ideas are on fire and you can convince everyone you encounter of your brilliance; other days, you feel like a shrinking violet, and “faking it” doesn’t really seem like a viable option. There is likely some deeper truth here about the volatility of life, but then again, there are some women who seem so comfortable in their skin and project power in a way that seems to indicate not everyone experiences that same volatility.
Sasheer Zamata is one of those women. The actor, writer and comedian spoke with Girlboss about her recent work in the Amy Schumer movie I Feel Pretty, as well as her own hacks for summoning that impressive confidence we’ve so often seen her exude. Whether she’s on stage in her own comedy special, Pizza Mind; doing an uncanny Olivia Pope impression on SNL; or tackling tougher topics, like giving her take on Larry Wilmore’s use of the N-word, Zamata commands a room.
Ahead, she breaks down the confidence tips that help her manage it—as well as breaking down her thoughts on our cultural obsession with beauty, and her own ideas about success.
Q:
It seemed like there was a strong bond between the women on this film. Were you friendly with a lot of the women in the movie before you started filming?
A:
“I’ve worked with Amy a few times, because she’s hosted SNL and she had me on her sketch show, Inside Amy Schumer, a couple of times. Even then, I remember her work ethic was so inspiring. And I also remember just how willing she is to let other people be super funny—like she would shout out suggestions to me [for things] to say in a scene, which is so nice, and also, not expected most of the time. It was nice to play around with her. She still has that same energy.”
Q:
Doing improv and comedy seem like they would be terrifying. How do you command confidence before you make yourself vulnerable like that?
A:
“I saw this TED talk that I think is pretty popular; if you just put your hands on your hips like Wonder Woman, that helps—or like Beyoncé. And yeah, it really works. Those power poses, if you just stand in them for a while, force you to feel powerful. Same thing with smiling; if you feel sad or down, if you smile and force your face to just do that, you naturally will feel a little better. It’s kind of a psychosomatic kind of thing. So, before shows I try to do that—and before auditions too.
“And I have this sonnet (Shakespeare’s Sonnet 105) that I memorized from voice class in college years ago, which I just repeat to myself over and over again before I’m about to perform, or go on an audition—because it centers me. It’s just a nice familiar thing for me to do, especially if I’m doing an unfamiliar task or in an unfamiliar place and I need to connect with myself.”
Q:
Is hands-on-hips your go-to pose?
A:
“Yeah, it is. Or if I’m sitting it’s hands behind my head. It just feels like I’m automatically cool.”
Q:
Is that about taking up space?
A:
“Definitely. When I shrink or feel like I’m curling up inside myself physically, I do feel nervous or less prepared for some reason. And then, as soon as I open up a little bit or stand tall or put my shoulders back, I feel a little better. I don’t know any of the psychology behind it, but something about taking ownership and taking up space does make me feel like ‘oh yes, I have a right to be here; I have a right to be heard; I have a right to take up this space because this space is also mine.’”
Q:
So much of this movie, I Feel Pretty, is about finding confidence from an internal place. But do you think a person should have to feel beautiful to feel confident? Are we too beauty-obsessed, as a society?
A:
“We are in a nice time where people are thirsty for inclusion and to see different kinds of bodies and different kinds of faces and people with no makeup or with makeup. And that’s not everywhere; it’s not pervasive throughout the whole world or even all of America yet, but hopefully we can get to a place soon where people are more accepting of the different kinds of beauty that we can see. That the way to feel beautiful is not to have to look like one kind of woman or one kind of man. Because men get it too; women have definitely had these messages for a very long time but there’s still a lot of pressure on the male side as well. How manly are you? How buff are you? How tall are you? How strong are you?All of that. It’s definitely a thing that is annoying and has been in our culture for a very, very long time, but I do think we’re at least getting better about accepting more kinds of people and more kinds of looks [as beautiful].”
Q:
What does success mean to you?
A:
“I think success is about how much my wellbeing is being taken care of in my life. I don’t want to put success on the other side of getting a job, or how much money I’m making, or how much notoriety I’m getting for something. But if those things are also making me happy that’s a huge win, because it feels good when I’m doing something I enjoy, and also really am having fun. That’s all I want to do! All I want to do is have fun doing the things that I love. Because, you know I could get paid to do a lot of things that I don’t love and that doesn’t feel as good. Success, to me, would be being true to myself and also feeling like I’m fulfilling my creativity and my happiness.”
Q:
What’s next in your pursuit of success?
A:
“I want to do another special, which I’m on the way to; I’m writing material and I’m working on it. And yeah, I want to have the in the works soon.”
