Interview: Ana Gasteyer of Once Upon a Mattress on the Delightful Challenges of Being Queen

Ana Gasteyer has none of the pretentiousness of the characters she’s played in recent years. But that’s what drew her to them. Gasteyer has long played into her characters’ self-importance and examined their contradictions, but ultimately, she grounds herself in their humanity and her desire for “silliness to prevail.” Most recently, she has played the sharp, self-assured CEO in the NBC series American Auto and has garnered praise for her role as Queen Aggravain in Once Upon a Mattress on Broadway.

“I feel really lucky that the lightning has struck in such a way that audiences can just sit back and enjoy more than have to think too hard,” says Gasteyer about her return to Broadway. “Joy rules the day, and there’s really no more joyful thing than working on the stage with other incredible performers. And to hear a live orchestra every day, it just builds my soul in such a profound way.”

TheaterMania spoke with the Saturday Night Live alumna to discuss her new role as the stressed-out Queen Aggravain, get her advice on hosting parties, and more.

This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Your work always feels rooted in sincerity, so what has been on your mind as you’ve put your touches on Queen Aggravain?

It’s funny that you chose the word “sincerity” because she feels like such a character, but thank you. There’s truth in comedy, so you’re always trying to find the most truthful moment, so that would be how I would interpret sincerity. But I think it’s a very arch take on a highly intelligent, controlling person who also cares deeply for her son. She’s not trying to control him so much as she’s maybe trying to protect him. You have to have fun with the concept. Otherwise, someone dedicated to decorum and a public front like Winnifred would be challenging someone who really values those things.

You recently played Grace, a wealthy divorcée, in Loot opposite Maya Rudolph, and your characters are in vastly different stages of life. Still, you bring inner strength and some vulnerability to both roles. How do you believe they live within you and their differences?

They’re both deeply upper-class in their status, but apart from that, they’re very different. Grace is dealing with the aftermath of a shattering and blindsiding divorce, so it’s an entirely different point of view: someone who may have come across a vast amount of money and is desperate for security. I don’t know how something lives within me, and other than trying to find the way in for any character, which is usually intellectual, to begin with, which is just like, what is the thing that they want most in life, right? And analyzing the writing and playing those truths.

Queen Aggravain is frustrated by the lack of suitable partners for Prince Dauntless, though it’s a hell of her making. How did your relationship with frustration inform your perception of her?

Lear deBessonet is an excellent dramaturg and we did talk. It was a very abbreviated rehearsal process coming off this Encores! model, but we did get some table time that was really valuable, and we both feel that Aggravain is probably the smartest person in this ridiculous kingdom and aware of the potential for total disaster. It makes me laugh when I think of what Winnifred and Dauntless will do when they take over. So I think just having a root in that, I guess it’s a hell of her own making, but I think she’s also just trying to steer some semblance of sanity, you know, it’s her idea of governance, which is fun to play. Also, the Marshall Barer writing of it and Mary Rodgers leaned in and understood organically family dynamics, making it funny and relatable these many years later. I notice on Wednesday matinees that there are a lot of mothers and housewives in the audience who relate to one’s fear of their son marrying their worst nightmare.

Queen Aggravain is such a peculiar character because there’s a lot to be frustrated by, and she’s the most awful to the people she cares about. What’s your secret to playing inherently unlikable characters but getting the audience to like them?

It’s certainly not a goal, but I’m glad it’s an effect. It’s relatable. At the end of the day, what makes anybody likable or not likable is always a concern. I love playing villains because they are also human. In this fairy tale, everything is absurd. Winnifred is absurd, and Dauntless is hapless, and although it’s been somewhat modified for a 2024 audience, Sextimus is a philanderer. That’s the original origin story somewhat, but it’s a shame because the Queen has had to put up with that, and I don’t think that’s an unfamiliar story to people. I feel like just playing the truth of those extremes tells a story in the most colorful way. If you’re doing a job right, you’re holding up your end of the bargain.

Similarly, she shows off her wealth and cleverness when she throws a party for Winnifred. It made me wonder: What’s your number-one rule for throwing a good party?

The number-one rule is that everyone’s included. If somebody is not invited, it’s not that fun. Everybody who would want to be included should be included. You have to have good food and a sense that the hosts themselves are having fun.