Issa Rae Talks Career, Coronavirus And More For Cosmopolitan Cover Story
Hi Condola: Cosmo Covering Issa Airs Her Insecurities For June Issue, “It Almost Feels Like I Fooled People”
Source: Ruth Ossai for Cosmopolitan / Ruth Ossai for Cosmopolitan
Hiiiiii Condola! Hiiiiiiii Molly! Issa Rae’s killing the game and her Cosmopolitan cover!
Issa Rae is on the cover of the June issue of Cosmopolitan, which lands on newsstands nationwide May 12. Inside the issue, Issa opens up about everything from the pandemic and the fourth season of Insecure to fame and her legacy.
Check out some excerpts and photos from her Cosmo cover story when you continue.
Source: Ruth Ossai for Cosmopolitan / Ruth Ossai for Cosmopolitan
On the fourth season of Insecure:
“Someone asked me if I felt pressure about this season coming on, and up until now, I hadn’t,” she says. “This fu**ing virus changed everything. Most of my mentions have been like, ‘Drop it, girl, stop playing, drop all the episodes at once’—like I’m HBO. And I’m like, What the fu**? We’re literally still mixing and editing.”
Hit the flip for more
Source: Ruth Ossai for Cosmopolitan / Ruth Ossai for Cosmopolitan
Issa also talks about the long lag time between the viral success of Awkward Black Girl in 2011 and her TV show, revealing she’d already been developing Insecure (without knowing if it would ever air) for two years by the time it did get picked up in 2015.
“That time was so frustrating because I had been working on the show for years,” she says, “and it just felt like the constant pressure of ‘your time is up, your time is now—so when’s it going to pop?’”
Source: Ruth Ossai for Cosmopolitan / Ruth Ossai for Cosmopolitan
Issa also addresses how frightening fame can be, while discussing her starring role in ‘The Photograph.’
“Candidly, it’s terrifying,” says Issa. “The bigger you are and the more people know your name, the more people you’re stumbling in front of.”
Source: Ruth Ossai for Cosmopolitan / Ruth Ossai for Cosmopolitan
Despite the slow grow from viral success to Hollywood household name, Issa expresses some self doubt, although she maintains a sense of humor about it:
“It almost just feels like I fooled people. Ha, ha, you put me on a magazine cover.”
She even admits worrying about how long her “window” of success will last.
“The blessing is like, Okay, I can for sure make my own opportunities, and that’s fun,” she explains. “But I also want to be able to…I want to deserve to be here, and that’s part of what keeps me up at night.”
Source: Ruth Ossai for Cosmopolitan / Ruth Ossai for Cosmopolitan
We thought it was really dope that while some black stars might experience a Cosmo cover as a sign of successfully crossing over in Hollywood — Issa is adamant how important the black community is to her.
“I want to be a pop culture staple—a black pop culture staple,” she says. “I want to have an impact on my community. Everything I’ve done has been for—and in thinking of—black people, and I don’t take this moment lightly. I want to do right by us, at the end of the day.”
YES Queen Issa!
If you want to laugh, hit the flip for her Expensive Taste Test with Cosmo
Source: Ruth Ossai for Cosmopolitan / Ruth Ossai for Cosmopolitan
We actually learned a lot about Issa in this cover story but probably the thing that stood out the most was she really has a thing for Spider Man. We’re hoping Marvel is paying attention.
You can read the full story at Cosmo HERE
