Issa Rae on 'Insecure,' Drake and being a Lyft driver

NEW YORK (AP) — Issa Rae's character on the hit series "Insecure," who works for a nonprofit, does what most people in need of extra cash do: She becomes a Lyft driver.

But the idea of making the show's lead character a part-time driver came from Rae's own experience: The actress said she applied to become a Lyft driver and was rejected.

"I did the application, went to go get my stickers and (stuff) but then got denied because I had one traffic infraction in 2014 ... so I didn't get to do it. I told the writers' room ... (and) they were so tickled at the idea that I would be a Lyft driver," she said. "In thinking about just the rideshare phenomenon and how so many regular people are using it to make extra money, just the stories that come from that, it just made sense for Issa to have that as a side gig and all the awkward situations that could arise from being a Lyft driver."

Rae had applied to drive for Lyft when she had driven to Malibu last year to write the first episode of season two of "Insecure." She said she filled up the rental car with gas and had extra, and wanted to make use of it.

She said her show and Lyft don't have a deal though: "HBO doesn't really allow that."

"It's great that HBO is like, 'Nah, we're not taking any brand input,'" she added. "Oddly enough, for a later episode we got into some trouble because some brands aren't about it."

Season three, which returns Sunday on HBO (10:30 p.m. ET), picks up with Rae moving in with her ex, Daniel, and dealing with not being in the field for her full-time job because of a mistake she made. The 33-yearold, who earned her first Emmy nomination this year for her leading role in the show she created, explains how Jay Ellis reacted to not being a part of season three, the fashion statements she's made and appearing in Drake's "Nice for What" video.