Issa Rae says she's always surprised by how many men watch Insecure. Photo / HBO
Issa Rae says she's always surprised by how many men watch Insecure. Photo / HBO
Dominic Corry talks to Issa Rae - the creator, writer and star of SoHo comedy series Insecure.
To what extent are you playing yourself in Insecure?
A lot of me is in this character, but a lot of young me is in this character. I've grown and I'm definitely more confident and in a secure place and I have the advantage of having known what I wanted to do professionally and this character does not. I feel like when you're wandering in that way you just have so much more angst and so many more questions, you're not as self-defined. So this is a version of me, but she's not me.
Is it frustrating when people think she is you?
Yeah, I mean a lot of it is my fault just in naming the character "Issa". It's harder to separate than if her name were Carol or something else.
Do your friends know which Insecure characters are based on them?
Some do, some do not. One friend wrongly assumed. She was like "So I see that you just made me this character" and I was like, "Girl, calm down, it's not you". She saw herself in that character. The one friend who would have a right to be offended is one of my best friends and she's been super supportive. She's like "You got me girl, you got me", so I've been lucky.
Has your life changed as a result of the success of Insecure?
It's kinda stayed the same because I stay inside. I don't really go out. I describe it as like feeling popular in high school. People see me on the street and they're like "Hey girl!" and I'm like "Hey!" and that's it.
Issa Rae says the Issa in Insecure is "a version of me, but she's not me". Photo / AP
What kind of feedback do you get from fans of the show?
We get a lot of great feedback just in terms of people feeling like it relates to their life and feeling like we're telling their stories. Feeling like we're their friends. I've been called "Broken Pussy" a couple of times, and that's not even my storyline. It's girls and guys. That always surprised me, the number of men who watch the show.
Insecure has been heralded for moving beyond stereotypical portraits of the African-American experience - has that been gratifying?
I think people were ready for it, they just didn't know they were ready for it. Because when you're just constantly presented with the same narrative, you're like "I guess that's all there is". But there's so many more stories to tell. There's just so many elements to being black in America. We're just starting to scratch the surface. For me, like the hood experience is still a very real experience.
Who creatively inspires you?
I've always been a Larry David fan, a Seinfeld fan, Tina Fey. Spike Lee is a huge influence on me. Gina Prince-Bythewood, I love. And Donald Glover. I've always been a fan.
Insecure came about largely thanks to the success of your web series, Awkward Black Girl. Do you still think making a web series as a viable way to break in to Hollywood?
I totally think so. Now it's a resume if anything - it showcases what you're able to do. There are a lot of web series out there just like how there are a lot of scripts out there and it's a bit rarer to be discovered, but it's happening.
Some people categorise Insecure as a "millennial" show - do you agree?
I didn't know I was a millennial until a year ago. So I guess it could be defined that way but that's not how I view it, I view it from my perspective, and it's a very specific story about two black female friends. So I guess, given the year that it is, that makes it a millennial story.
