Issa Rae says she went from being “stupidly optimistic” early in her career to being pessimistic about black stories becoming a priority in Hollywood.
Despite starring in three of last year's critically acclaimed and Oscar-nominated films – “Barbie,” “American Fiction” and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” – Rae still worries about her perspective in the ever-changing industry, particularly in television and your place in it.
The “Insecure” creator, writer and star expressed her concerns in her cover story for Net-a-Porter’s digital title Porter, telling Otegha Uwagba that the invasion of streamers and the influence of streaming investors Wall Street could lead to more homogeneity and fewer black stories. coming to fruition. And, perhaps, it's a push for her to be more independent after her Max series “Rap S—” was canceled earlier this month after two seasons.
“It's already happening,” the 39-year-old said. “You're seeing so many black shows being canceled, you're seeing so many executives, especially at DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] side – be canned. “Now you are seeing very clearly that our stories have less priority.”
That narrative plays with the social satire about the publication, “American Fiction,” which touches on feelings of surrender and complacency in the face of white audiences and prejudices. Rae also said that she remembers feeling “enraged at what she wasn't getting done and angry at who she was in the spotlight” when she started online with “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl.”
Rae's comments come on the heels of viral statements made by “Empire” and “The Color Purple” star Taraji P. Henson, who lamented the state of black women in Hollywood late last year, denouncing the enormous pay disparity and gaining broad support from colleagues.
“I'm tired of working so hard, being kind in what I do, and getting paid a fraction of the cost,” Henson told Gayle King on SiriusXM. “I'm tired of hearing my sisters say the same thing over and over again. You get tired. I hear people say, 'You work hard.' Well, I have to do it. Mathematics is not mathematics.”
As Uwagba noted in the profile, Hollywood studios are still falling short of their 2020 promises to diversify and are struggling to translate last year's female-driven successes into real gains in diversity, according to the findings of a recent study by the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. The study also found that progress in hiring women and people of color as film directors stalled in 2023.
“I am pessimistic, because no one holds anyone responsible, and I can do it, of course, but at what cost? I can't make you do my things. It has made me take more steps to try to be independent in the future if I need to,” Rae said.
Rae noted that she is still writing a few projects, including one for herself and another to produce and create with others. She was inspired to return to work after the end of the debilitating labor strikes in Hollywood last year, and she is “embracing that challenge.”
“The industry is constantly changing, so it really inspired me to focus and focus on the stories I want to tell. “I have been intensely focused on getting these projects off the ground,” added the leader of Hoorae Media, whose production company, like her first Stanford University theater company, focuses on telling black stories.
But even that could be short-lived. The Emmy and Golden Globe winner could be looking to take a turn in the future
“I want, within 10 years, to transition into service. This is fun, but at some point it will feel like it's not enough and I want to be able to do more,” Rae said.
