'I could never do this show and have a predominantly white staff,' she says about the HBO show.
- Sep 6, 2018
AceShowbiz - Issa Rae is certain she couldn't make hit show "Insecure" with a mainly white production team.
The 33-year-old co-creator of the hit HBO show has made a name for herself with her portrayal of a contemporary African-American woman living in south Los Angeles.
In a cover story for U.S. Glamour magazine, the double 2017 Golden Globe nominee explained she maintains its authenticity by "surrounding myself with people of colour" as the show gains a bigger audience.
"I could never do this show and have a predominantly white staff," she said about the show beloved by former U.S. President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama among others, which has a non-black viewership of 62 per cent.
"You can always tell when (a black show) feels overly explained. If you're targeting a specific audience, there's a shorthand people of colour have, where you don't need to explain it."
"If a story line is funny to me, if it's real to me, if it moves me, then it's my thing. It's my experience, so no one can take that away from me," she added of the show that strictly avoids soapbox explanations of racism.
And when it comes to storylines for the show, which is currently in its third season, Issa understands that not everyone will get it, not even some of the writers.
"I just want to do my pure story, and if I'm not, it's just not worth it. And (showrunner) Prentice (Penny) feels the same," she said. "Sometimes the white writers will be like, 'I didn't even know what that line meant until I watched the show,' and I'm like, 'That's OK. There are some things that are just for us'."
