Samuel Beckett’s "Happy Days" poses a tricky challenge for the actor tasked with playing Winnie. In the first act, she is buried up to her waist. In the second, the sand and dirt leave only her neck and head exposed. And throughout the play, her only companion is Willie, whom the audience never fully sees until the second act.

"You want to do it, but that’s because you are a masochist," says Sally Wingert, who takes on the role in the Guthrie’s current production. "I came into it thinking it would be a spoonful of medicine to do, but as it turns out, I love the play and I love the character and all of the peculiarities that Beckett has set up."

Though the character stays in place, she isn’t immobile, especially in act one. "You are busy with all these things in her handbag. As she moves through her day, she is very careful about keeping herself busy, mentally and physically, as best she can. In the second act, not only she is even more isolated, she can’t use her arms anymore. It’s also a significantly darker act," Wingert says.

The character’s cheerfulness — in the face of whatever disaster has befallen her — has worked its way into Wingert’s mind, even waking her up in the middle of the night, "She is a very funny character; she is very dear, very human and very much like me. Every time I was really speaking from my own experience and voice, my director (Rob Melrose) gave me feedback that that was it — that was the character."

Though Wingert has avoided any of the filmed versions of the play — and has not seen it herself — she did enlist the help of her onstage cohort, Richard Ooms, who plays Willie. Ooms’ spouse, Claudia Wilkens, played the role at the Jungle Theater.

"Through him, I asked her about the biggest challenge and I have to say I concur with her," Wingert says. "It’s the first 10 minutes or so. Once you get past that you are firmly on the road, or down the rabbit hole."

Wingert and Ooms talk about their roles and the play in a video here.

"Happy Days" runs through March 8 in the Joe Dowling Studio at the Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis. Tickets are $18 to $34. For information, call 612-377-2224 or go online.