Issa Rae balances a booked schedule
NEW YORK — The HBO hit “Insecure” typically airs during the summer, but series creator Issa Rae has been moving like the Energizer Bunny with a schedule so booked and busy, the show’s return had to be delayed.
But for good reason.
She filmed two movies (“The Photograph,” “The Lovebirds”). She executive produced and appeared in HBO’s “A Black Lady Sketch Show.” The actress who breaks out in raps to cope with life on “Insecure” launched her own record label. And Rae is writing, producing and starring in a new movie called “Perfect Strangers” and producing another HBO series, “Rap (expletive),” about a female rap group.
“I was just relieved to not be doing the show and to be working on other things so much so that I was finally grateful to come back when I was done with those projects,“’ Rae said of “Insecure,” which returned Sunday. “I love this show. I love the people on it. I love creating it and making it. It just made me more appreciative of what we were doing.”
“Insecure” finds Rae’s character Issa Dee on a search to find herself — professionally and personally. The show also stars Yvonne Orji (Molly), Jay Ellis (Lawrence), Amanda Seales (Tiffany) and Natasha Rothwell (Kelli), who also writes and produces the show.
In an interview, Rae, 35, spoke about her Emmynominated series and the show within the show, which this season is a docuseries about a missing black woman.
Q: What can we expect from Season 4?
A: This season is really about whether the people in your life are there for a reason or a season. It really is about that transitional period when you go from your 20s and you’re kind of figuring out who you are, to your 30s when you really know who you are. You know what you’re going to tolerate and what you’re not going to tolerate and who you want around you to continue that journey.
This season specifically, there’s a lot of relationships mirrored to my own personal friendships and my own relationships dealing with the same kind of transitions and the questions.
Q: It was funny seeing Porsha Williams from “Real Housewives of Atlanta” and Masika Kalysha from “Love and Hip-Hop” on the show. Did they audition?
A: Masika auditioned. That was just a surprise of going through the audition tape and being like, “Oh good, she’s good. It’s great.” And just being like, “OK, cast her.”
For a show within a show, those are always very specific and you have a cast in mind and then we just approach them and they’re down.
Q: It’s nice seeing veteran black actors in that show within a show (it also includes Terri J. Vaughn and Carl Anthony Payne).
A: It’s a way to honor our legends. It’s so fulfilling to be able to work with them. To have them be a part of our own cultural moment.
Q: Even the storyline is interesting.
A: That even came about from our random obsession with true crime podcasts and true crime docuseries and being like, “There’s never black people.” Nobody would dedicate a whole podcast or docuseries to missing black people. Nobody does a “To Live and Die in LA” if the girl is black.
Q: How have you been able to balance all the projects you’re working on?
A: I have not been great at balancing, but the people that I work with have been amazing.