Issa Rae earned her career first Golden Globe nomination on Monday for her performance on HBO’s “Insecure,” a comedy series that she also co-created.
While she’s “ecstatic” about the nod, she does wish her colleagues on the show had also been named, she told TheWrap about the show’s lone nomination.
“It does feel weird to get to be the face of it knowing so many people put in work and so many people made it what it is,” said Rae. “That’s the only thing that’s bittersweet. I’m just so happy to have this but I just wish everybody was recognized and me.”
Larry Wilmore is also the creator and Prentice Penny is showrunner and executive producer of the show that revolves around two best friends who attempt to navigate different worlds and cope with an endless series of uncomfortable everyday experiences of black women.
Rae also gave a special shout-out to Melina Matsoukas, who directed four episodes. “She just took everything and made it superior.”
Rae said she found her nomination to be doubly surreal given the fact that she started out doing web series. “I’m feeling great, ecstatic, like, this is so strange — and coming from YouTube, which is insane.”
“Insecure” explores the contemporary black female experience — one Rae is proud to convey on mainstream TV. “We rarely get to see ourselves just be,” Rae said. “To get to be auteurs of our own stories and journeys and show our own points of view — that’s why people are responding to shows like ours. They come from a very authentic and very real, true place. People are ready to see things outside the, quote, ‘white experience in America.’”
Regarding other Globes nominees, Rae made it clear: she’s rooting for indie film “‘Moonlight’ all the way. What Barry Jenkins and what the cast did — everyone was amazing in that movie,” she said. “So I’m rooting for them in every single category.”
Rae also teased the highly anticipated second season — and fan favorite Lawrence, played by Jay Ellis. “You will definitely see more of him — and that includes all of him,” Rae said, suggesting the sometimes-bare Ellis will show even more skin in Season 2. But will Issa get back together with him? To this Rae simply said, “Are breakups ever really clean?”
The actress and creator shared how she learned about her nomination: “I was asleep and I got a 5:20-something a.m. call from Vanessa, my publicist. I ignored the first call and then I got a text and thought, ‘Wow this must mean we were nominated.’ I just kind of sat on it. This is crazy.”