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“Sleep is probably the most vital thing that I need in order to perform at my best. And I mean—I think that goes for anybody,” says Sutton Foster. And when the Tony-winning actor says perform, she means perform—on stage almost every night for the Broadway production of Once Upon a Mattress, in which she stars.
Newly adapted by Amy Sherman-Palladino (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), the comedy riffs off Hans Christian Andersen’s Princess and the Pea and will see Sutton bouncing around on stage almost nightly through November 30.
In a life-imitates-art turn of events, Foster plays the princess who can’t seem to get shut-eye because of a measly little pea—though for real life, the star explains: “It’s sort of imperative that I try to get at least eight hours—if I can get more, it’s golden. This show, in particular, is very physical.”
In honor of the production, which opened just a couple of weeks ago, we ask Foster to tell about her real-life sleeping habits—and, of course, her ideal mattress—in this edition of “Before Bed.”
Vogue: How does your Broadway schedule impact your sleep routine?
Sutton Foster: It can be a little bit hard to come down after a show. This show is actually not so bad because it’s less than two and a half hours, so I’m usually home by about 9:45 p.m. When I was younger, I was a bit more of a night owl, and I would stay up really late, but I have a 7-year-old daughter who gets up pretty early—when she gets up earlier than 7 a.m., I’m always like, “You cannot wake me up until seven o’clock!”
How does being on stage impact your dinner schedule?
I still struggle with nerves and anxiety about performing, so my appetite is the first thing that goes. So sometimes I’m only hungry, really hungry, after a show. I’ll come home, and I’ll eat granola or cereal, or I’ll have hummus and pretzels; sometimes it’ll be a grilled cheese and Doritos. It just depends on the night. I’ve become addicted to Magnum mini ice cream bars. This is terrible. These are all terrible things to have before bedtime!
How do you wind down after dinner?
I’ve been watching RuPaul’s Drag Race. It’s very glamorous what I do at night after performing on Broadway; it’s me eating grilled cheese and Doritos and watching RuPaul’s Drag Race! My biggest ritual is always to take a bath; my bathtub is my sanctuary. I always take a bath and wash off my makeup from the show while I’m in the bathtub.
What’s part of your bath routine?
I love to crochet, so I have all these crocheted washcloths that I’ve made. I have a big tub and I have a wooden shelf across it with candles and face stuff and body stuff. I have magnesium salts and Angelica aromatherapy oil. I put five drops in, and I have sort of my ritual there every night of taking a bath.
What is on your bedside table?
Okay. I’m currently in bed, so I’m looking over here. Let’s see. I have a lot of rocks and crystals and things I put by my table—they all mean various things, I probably couldn’t even tell you. I also love to collect heart-shaped rocks and shells and things, so I have a couple of heart-shaped rocks by my bed. I have melatonin. I have CBD and CBN gummies, which is like my new thing. I have a journal that’s sitting here—I like to journal in the morning and a couple of aromatherapy oils that I put on my wrist and temples before I go to bed—I have a Mind Spa oil with Eucalyptus, patchouli, and bergamot.
Do you look at your phone before bed?
I do tend to look at my phone—I will do last-minute things right before bed, but I would like to not do that. It’s something I’m working on.
Are you very particular with your bedding?
Yes. I like to keep my room cold, set at 68. I love to sleep cold because I like to have blankets. I like to have more than one blanket because I like the weight—but I don’t like a weighted blanket. I like quilts more than I like a duvet–I just can t stand having to put a cover over a duvet—it just drives me crazy.
For sheets, I have these really soft sheets, I think they’re from West Elm. They’re like those Tencel sheets in blush. Right now it’s a blush—everything is blush with a touch of sage. It’s very calm; there’s no TV in the bedroom. It’s a place for sleeping.
What kind of pillow case do you sleep on?
I have a special pillowcase. When I was little, I didn t have a blankie, but I would take the pillowcase off my pillows and I would just carry it around the pillowcase—at some point, she just stopped putting a pillowcase on my pillow.
I then became very attached to this one type of pillowcase from the seventies. I have managed to find replicas of it on eBay and Etsy, and so I have this little collection of them that I’ve been keeping, and I wear them all down till they’re practically see-through, and I have a backup already ready to go. I technically still have a security blanket, but I have a security pillow—I’ve slept on the same pillowcase design my whole life. I’m very sentimental.
Do you prefer black-out shades or to rise with the sun?
I have blackout shades. That keeps me in bed until, well, if my daughter doesn’t wake me up, I can probably stay in bed till eight or nine.
What kind of pajamas do you like to wear?
I sleep naked.
Do you always set an alarm?
I don’t always. I have two dogs who sleep in the bedroom with me, but they have a crate—I can’t let them sleep on the bed because one of them chews things and I’ll wake up with holes in my cover. They will wake me up because they’ll hear something and bark.
What’s the first thing you do in the morning?
First thing’s first, coffee! I have a coffee, and then I have one of those 32-ounce water bottles. I also drink Athletic Greens and collagen, and when I’m performing, I’ll use an electrolyte packet and I make a sort of concoction. I’m working on that right now!
And in honor of Once Upon a Mattress, soft or firm mattress?
I don’t like the foam mattresses, it feels like you’re sleeping in clay. I would say I’m more on the firm side? Medium to firm.
