Issa Rae says Nipsey Hussle helped repair friendship with Lauren London
"It actually sparked an amazing two-hour conversation."
Issa Rae is speaking out about how late rapper Nipsey Hussle assisted in easing the tension between herself and his girlfriend, actress Lauren London.
Speaking to Vanity Fair for their latest cover story, the star and creator of the hit HBO series Insecure recalled how she detailed in her best-selling memoir the obstacles she faced while pitching her web series Awkward Black Girl. She also discussed how TV executives often suggested the lead role should go to a light-skinned actress, specifically Lauren London.
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When London caught wind of her remarks, she allegedly “took offense to that,” and Rae said the moment is still one of her “biggest regrets.” However, it wasn’t until she connected with Nipsey at Diddy’s 50th birthday party that she was able to smooth things over with London at Nipsey’s urging.
“He was like, ‘You should just talk to her. Let me set it up,’” Rae tells Vanity Fair. “It actually sparked an amazing two-hour conversation. We had so much in common. She was like, ‘People don’t understand, I’m an awkward Black girl.’ In the same way that I was upset about the limited portrayal of Black women, she was like, ‘People do the same thing to me.’ I completely get that.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Issa dishes about the fifth and final season of Insecure, saying she will never “write and be in a show that I created again.”
“It takes up a lot of your life, and I like to do a lot of things,” she added.
Rae also admits to re-watching the show’s first episodes as she prepares to end the beloved series.
“All these memories come up, so I can’t watch it purely objectively. And then, of course, you look at performance stuff, you look at hair stuff, you look at appearance stuff. You’re just like, Okay, wow, I went on TV like that?” she said.
Read More: Issa Rae on ‘Insecure’ ending: ‘I want to be able to grow’
An earlier report noted that Rae previously opened up about the end of her award-winning series to PEOPLE, revealing that since season 3, she has been “wrapping her head around” the ending.
Rae told the magazine, “I’ve been wrapping my head around this since candidly, season 3. But I’m so grateful to be able to play this character, who is obviously a version of me, and in the same way that I want this character to grow, I want to be able to grow too.”
Insecure first premiered in October 2016, and since then, the show has received critical acclaim and multiple Emmy nominations. Rae continued, “So I think that’s what comes with it — I’ve played her for a long time, and I have so much more that I want to do.”
Rae also revealed to PEOPLE that she’s trying to remain present in this last go at filming the series. She explained, “But being on set everyday, I’m definitely taking it all in on a different level now, just in terms of, ‘Wow, I love this family. This is my family,’ and we’ve done so much and these people are incredible, and I feel so blessed to work with them.” She added, “I know I’ll look back on this time very, very fondly, as I do now.”
theGrio’s Jared Alexander contributed to this report.
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