Issa Rae is an actress, creator, writer, and producer with three Emmy nominations to her name and a resume that includes “Insecure,” “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” “The Photograph,” and “Little.” But as the multi-hyphenate recently told The Hollywood Reporter, she wants her legacy to extend beyond her own work. “For me, my longevity will be opening the door for others,” she said, mentioning Tupac’s famous remark, “I’m not saying I’m going to change the world, but I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will change the world.”
“Insecure” has shone a spotlight on performers and creatives such as Yvonne Orji, Natasha Rothwell, Amanda Seales, Grace Edwards, and Amy Aniobi, leading to accolades, press, and new opportunities. Rae even took time in her own THR profile to spread the love and shout out several artists she’s a fan of, and whom Hollywood should paying attention to.
“There’s a writer named Tori Sampson who’s out of this fucking world. She’s a playwright,” Rae mentioned. “Writer Syreeta Singleton. Child is another person, a director. Everything she makes is beautiful and she just did a video for Big Sean on a whim. Now she’s the go-to video person.” The “Lovebirds” star continued, “TT the Artist is someone else who’s a multihyphenate, in a way where she started off making music and made a documentary [that] was supposed to be at South by Southwest. You know how we have crumping here? There’s a different form of dance in Baltimore where people are dancing their pain away, in spite of their circumstances. She made the most beautiful documentary [‘Dark City Beneath the Beat’] I’ve seen.”
Rae is obviously committed to boosting other rising artists — particularly women of color — but she’s also unafraid to fight for herself. When she was asked about salary negotiations and pushing for more money, she said, “I’ve definitely demanded. Yvonne joked before the Emmy nominations came out, “Girl, I told all my agents, ‘Don’t make no deals until after Tuesday or Monday,’ whenever the announcements were, because our price is going up or down.” So there is something to that, too, of just realizing your worth.”
Rae also stressed the importance of speaking up, whether it’s advocating for herself or calling out inequities. “Also, seeing how little these white people care about asking for more than they’re worth in many cases. You can’t be polite, or tiptoe, or be modest about those things,” she explained. “You’re seeing these nine-, 10-figure deals out there. I have a great team that also is not afraid to ask for beyond my worth. I have an amazing Black lawyer who is constantly being like, ‘No, I’m going to get you better.’ Or, ‘No, I’m going to make sure. I heard that so-and-so made this, you’re about to make this.'”
Rae is up for two Emmys for “Insecure” this year: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for starring, and Outstanding Comedy Series for producing. The HBO comedy landed eight nominations overall, including Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Orji) and two Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series – Half-Hour nods (Kira Kelly and Ava Berkofsky). “Insecure” has been renewed for Season 5, with a premiere TBD.
Rae’s many upcoming projects include “American Princess,” a comedy which will reunite her with her “Photograph” and frequent “Insecure” director Stella Meghie, and “Sinkhole,” a genre pic examining the idea of female perfection she’s producing with Jordan Peele. She’s executive producing “Seen & Heard,” a two-part HBO documentary exploring the history of Black television. She also told THR she’s writing a movie, an adaptation of the Italian film “Perfect Strangers.”
Head over to THR to read about Rae’s love of “I May Destroy You,” how she became involved with “Sinkhole,” and how she feels about professional criticism.
