TOTALLY ‘SECURE’
Yvonne Orji is nothing like her TV character
CONSIDERING there’s so much hanky-panky on “Insecure,” it’s hardly surprising many folks are obsessed with Yvonne Orji’s sex life. But the Nigerian-born actress who plays Molly, Issa Rae’s bestfriend on the series, keeps her life fairly G-rated, eschewing alcohol — and sex — in adherence to her Christian faith. “My faith has really been the biggest asset of my career,” says Orji, who studied public health at George Washington University before moving to NYC to pursue a career in stand-up comedy. “It has grounded me and let me focus on what’s important.”
Much like in Season 1, what’s important to Molly is sorting out her dating life. Early on, she met Lionel (Sterling K. Brown), a clean-cut professional “who’s so, so perfect, that Molly would have snapped him up a year ago,” Orji says. In Season 2, however, she reads him as boring and opts for a misguided dalliance with a married childhood friend as Issa cultivates her LA “hoetation.”
Viewers have had mixed feelings about Molly and Issa’s descent into depravity, worried the show is losing its focus. But as “Insecure” gears up for its Sept. 10 season finale, Orji says its writers keep the show focused on the “awkward black girls” who first made it a cult phenomenon.
“People have such a visceral response to our show,” Orji, 33, tells The Post. “I meet a lot of women out there who really see themselves in Molly and Issa.”
“Insecure” is really the only show out there about, by and for black people. Does this ever feel like a burden?
Any show that speaks to people of color feels the burden to always get it right. On TV as in life, white folks are allowed to make mistakes, but usually black people aren’t. We never want to show black people as the “sassy best friend,” but we also sometimes just want to be regular, without extra hot sauce in our bag.
Molly’s ideal of marriage was shattered when she learned of her father’s infidelity. So what does Molly want now?
A man who wants to only be with her; to build a family; but a man who also has swag. It’s the kind of life that most white women expect but black women often do not think they deserve.
Would Molly ever date a white guy?
Well, I don’t know. There are certainly enough great black men out there; there are certainly black people who marry other black people — black people who simply meet while shopping at Trader Joe’s.
You just took yourself to Maui. What’s it like to finally have some money?
Well, I still enjoy going to the 99-cent store and I was only recently shamed into trading in my 2001 Honda Accord for a new car. I’m only now allowing myself some indulgences, saying, “It’s OK if I want to splurge on a $400 massage every so often.”