Issa Rae Covers Complex

Issa Rae Covers Complex

Our “Insecure” bae Issa Rae is promoting the second season of her show with a magazine cover. The writer/director is currently Complex’s cover girl and inside the publication she’s dishing on her HBO drama while channeling Pam Grier.

On continuing last season’s storyline for season 2:

“Yeah, once we did the pilot and I knew what kind of show that I wanted to do, and then of course, Prentice and I, you know, the new show we’re now having conversations with him. We kind of operate the same way. He’s all about living, making sure we live life so that we have those stories to tell. And the writers, we mine a lot of people’s experiences to make a relatable, real show. Once the characters were down pat, and once I tapped into what I wanted to say and what the core was, it’s always harder to come up with stories, just to make everything coherent, because you’re making something serial. But I know this world and I know these people, and the root of a lot of the decisions that they make, so it’s exciting more than anything. There’s nothing more satisfying than breaking a story and being like, “Oh, shit, OK. We’re gonna see where it’s gonna go from here.”

On her writers’ room:

“Just in conversations. The writers’ room feels like a dinner party without the dinner, and without the lateness of it, I guess. We’re having these conversations about our personal lives. It starts during the day, like, “What’d you do this weekend?” Or, “What’s going on with that guy, or girl, you were talking to?” Sharing those personal stories. But with the mental health story, that’s just something that culturally we know about a lot of our people; sometimes we use religion to cover up what’s going on inside. “Just pray on it. Just pray that this depression will go away.” No, you should really like go get treated, or you should talk to someone. Even with the Jared storyline where he dabbled in experimenting with a guy…”

On adding conversation starters like her character Jared’s gay experience to the story:

“Well, that’s just something that we want to have those real discussions, and we don’t want to take a side either way, because nobody really does take a side, except for you. You said you like the shirt, so you approve, but I mean, it’s just those conversation topics to have outside of the show are great. I saw so many people being like, “Would I date a dude who would mess with another dude?” Post that show and I was like, “Yes, progress.” But that was something that was a hot topic in the room and then we realized, generationally, it wasn’t necessarily consistent. We weren’t all on the same page between, you know, black women and white women, between gay and straight, between you know, older and younger, and I find that kind of stuff fascinating and fun to address and talk about.”

Will you be watching “Insecure” when it premieres July 23???

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