“We’re Really Out Here Winning,” says Issa Rae
The prolific writer, actress, and producer — and THR’s Equity in Entertainment honoree — on embracing ensembles, championing others, and carving out time for herself.
After her long-running show Insecure ended last year, Issa Rae wasted no time in initiating the next phase of her career. Rae, who has a five-year overall deal with WarnerMedia, wrote and executive produced the HBO Max comedy Rap Sh!t and is planning a reboot of the docuseries Project Greenlight through her Hoorae production firm. This year, Rae received her third Emmy nomination for outstanding actress in a comedy, and her film career is thriving, with roles in B.J. Novak’s Vengeance, an impending appearance in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, and a vocal performance as Spider-Woman in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
She mentions that there are women that she admires, that feels like she could call and should call — I just had that revelation last month. She mentions, “There are so many women I know who are going through exactly what I’m going through, why am I not picking up the phone to call them?” I remember talking to America Ferrera once, and we had the best conversation and she was like, “You need to hit up Reese [Witherspoon] or Mindy [Kaling]” and I was like, “I should,” and then still didn’t because I always feel like I’m bothering people. But whenever I do get a chance to catch up with them, I feel more empowered. I feel like, “OK, I’m not crazy, I’m not in this alone.” Maybe in 2023, I’ll be more intentional about reaching out.
She stated that she has worked out what her next three shows will be and that she has begun working on them.
“Others I’m in, some I’m not, but it’s really really fueled my want to keep creating. So much of my time was spent on Insecure, and I didn’t even get to compose Rap Sh!t until the pandemic hit and we had that type of forced break.” Her realization was also discussed, that she may not be very good at multitasking and that she needs to make time to continue creating because that is what makes her the happiest.
Issa talked about the industry’s current trends & how they affect creatives. She expressed “When is there no [change]? But it appears like no one is aware of what is going on. All of these consolidations and mergers are putting everyone at risk. So many writers are receiving the raw end of the deal. I know it’s just made me more devoted to ownership and making sure that we stay committed to what we’re doing in terms of being able to open and keep the door open for others. That’s the only difference between now and decades ago when there was a fear of losing variety and reverting to the status quo. There are good-intentioned people who are less afraid to speak up [today], and the democratization of outside voices screaming, “This is what we want.”