Issa Rae Sits Pretty On The Cover Of The Observer Magazine

If we are to count the number of magazine covers Issa Rae has been on this year, we’ll still be counting by the time the clock strikes midnight on New Years Eve. After a widely successful season of her hit show Insecure as well as her portrayal of #BlackLove in the movie Photograph, she’s on a roll with no sign of stopping soon! This time around, she is photographed by Danielle Levit for The Observer Magazine and she’s giving us queen energy. The gold ensemble is to die for and her beauty team needs extra props!

On “Insecure”: “It is a compliment and a burden that people take so much ownership over the show,” Rae says, “because there aren’t a lot of shows about us, so people feel like you have to tell all the stories that can be told, and if you don’t you’re failing us.”

On how sharing a name and face with her character on “Insecure”, has made privacy a priority: “People have a lot of shit to say and I just don’t want it to be about me, unless it’s talking about my work,” she says. “People fill in the blanks about my own life because of the characters’ choices, but I’m fine with that. As long as it’s not my real shit and it’s wrong then talk away!”

On her legacy: “As far as legacy is concerned, I have so much to do,” she says. “And I’m fine with that, but it definitely keeps me up at night. My feet aren’t firmly planted just yet. I’m still walking, I’m still paying my dues, in a way that I’m not mad at. I want to earn being here.”

On the complicated diversity within Hollywood. “It’s just another way to divide us, unfortunately,” she sighs. “Seeing Daniel Kaluuya in that Fred Hampton trailer, I was like, go the fuck ahead! You transformed, you’re an actor! Sometimes I’m pleasantly surprised when I’m watching white shit and I’m like, ‘Oh! The bitch is Australian? That’s so dope! I would have never known.’”

Credits:
Photographer: @daniellelevitt
Styling: @jasonrembert
Hair: @lovingyourhair
Makeup: @joannasimkin