January 16, 2025 • 31 mins
Actor, writer, producer, and “Insecure” co-creator and star Issa Rae joins the show. Her latest movie project, “One of Them Days” (out tomorrow, Jan. 17) is a hilarious buddy comedy starring Keke Palmer and SZA. Issa expounds on her contributions to on-screen female friendship, the bold hair move she recommends everyone try at least once, and a lot more.
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Hello Sunshine.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Hey fam Today on the bright Side, a Hollywood legend
is in the house. Y'all. She's a woman who needs
no introduction, but we'll give you a little bit.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
Anyways, We've got the.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Co creator and star of Insecure, Esa Ray here with
us today and we're talking about her hilarious new film
One of Them Days, plus why Shall Forever be an
Awkward Black Girl.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
It's Thursday, January sixteenth.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
I'm Danielle Robe, I'm Simone Boyce, and this is the
bright Side from Hello Sunshine.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Issa Ray is here today, Simone. She's such a powerhouse.
I mean, from starting on YouTube to becoming a major
force in Hollywood, I feel like ESA's really made her mark.
She's the creative mind behind the hit show Insecure that
I loved. She starred in three Oscar nominated films, and
she even took on the role of president in Barbie.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Do you remember that? Yes, she's my president? Yes, oh
my god. Well, okay.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
The fact that she started on YouTube is wild to
me because she's leveraged her web series Awkward Black Girl
to build a platform for underrepresented voices, and now her
latest endeavor involves the development of a new studio campus
in South Los Angeles.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Like, is Esta going to be the head of a
studio that is iconic?
Speaker 1 (01:19):
I feel like her success has paved the way for
a new generation of creators, really showing Hollywood that there's
a vast, engaged audience for stories outside of the traditional mold.
We've always known that, but Esa proved it. I really
think that's a shift that she helped catalyze.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
You mentioned her series Awkward Black Girl, and I wonder
how many people out there know about that series and
what it actually took to become insecure. I mean, she
really bet on herself in a huge way, and she
was bootstrapping that series and you know, paying for it
herself and begging for favors from friends, and just takes
(01:57):
a lot of faith in yourself and in your time
talents to do that and put so much on the line.
I mean, she she literally quit a job in order
to make that dream a reality, and it did become
a reality. And what came out of Awkward Black Girl
is Insecure, one of the most successful shows that Max
has ever seen. So she is such a huge inspiration
(02:20):
in that way, and I just find I find Issa
the person to be so inspiring too. Like all of
her interviews and sound bites, there's one that comes to
mind when she talks about the value of networking across
and not just networking above, not just thinking about how
to make relationships with people who are more powerful than you,
(02:41):
but thinking about how can I how can I partner
up with peers who I admire, and how can we
rise together?
Speaker 3 (02:47):
I love that perspective.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
It's interesting you mentioned that one because a few of
our guests on the show have quoted her. They've cited
that quote. She just has the knack or saying it
like it is and getting a laugh like I think.
Her work seamlessly blends humor with social commentary, tackling issues
like race and gender and systemic inequities while remaining entertaining
(03:12):
and accessible. I'm so bummed I missed this interview. I
can't wait to hear it.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Simon.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
I know I wanted you to be there so we
could sing broken Pussy together.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Oh my God.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
For anyone who doesn't know, broken Pussy is the name
of a song that Isa sings in the pilot of Insecure,
and it's hilarious.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
You have to go watch it if you haven't seen it.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
I got to sit down with Isa while she was
promoting her new movie One of Them Days. It's a
really cool story behind it. She really shepherded the writer
of this film, Serita Singleton, and this is just what
Isara does. She finds creators of color and she embraces
them and nurtures them. And Serta worked with her on
(03:58):
Insecure and now there may this movie together and it's
also starring Keiki Palmer and Sizza. So cool to see
Sissa in an acting capacity for the first time. I
think this is the first of many iconic acting roles
for her. But this film is all about two best
friends and roommates who are on a mission to get
their rent in on time or else they'll get evicted.
(04:19):
And of course, you know in South Los Angeles, hijinks ensue,
hilarity ensues. But I love that this is a film
about friendship because at the end of the day, that
is that's one of our themes that we love to
talk about on the bright side so much.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Absolutely, it was kind of being marketed as this like
female buddy cop movie, which it's interesting that it was
female buddy cop because that means that the regular buddy
cop movie is default male. But this film was really
inspired by some of these classic movies like Baps, which
came out in nineteen ninety seven. It was starring Halle
Berry and Natalie decel. It was inspired by nineteen ninety
(04:56):
five's Friday and I know this it's funny, but Bapps.
I actually just saw it for the first time this year.
It is hilarious. It's like the original Rome and Michelle's
high school reunion. And I just love like friendship is
at the heart of all of these movies.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
You know, Lisa is a girl's girl.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
Yeah, there's a reason why friendship, and specifically black female
friendship comes up so much in the projects that she does,
and we love to see it.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
She has this knack for displaying friendships in a real
way too, you know, like it's not sort of this
idealized version.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
It's really honest and raw and she gets She's not
afraid to get into the messy parts of friendship.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Okay, well, enough of us, let's get to this interview.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
That's right after the break. Stay with us, Lisa Ray,
Welcome to the bright Side. Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
We are so thrilled to have you. Congratulations on one
of them days. It's Giving Friday, it's giving baps, it's
even giving a little super bad Let's go right, and
it chronicles this hilariously bad day through the eyes of
two best friends. So I'm coming out the gate hot.
I'm not gonna lie, okay at me. If your friends
(06:18):
had to make a movie about a terrible day that
you had, what would the title be?
Speaker 3 (06:22):
And why?
Speaker 4 (06:23):
Oh man, that is hot out the gate? Probably what's
wrong with You? Yeah, it would be that get I
get asked that a lot by my friend group, where
it's just like either I could have done something better
or like in an easier way, or I might say
something ridiculous, or I might have said something to get
(06:46):
it meet myself in a situation.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
So what's wrong with she would for sure be the title.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
I feel like that just sums it all up. Yeah,
you know, it's a really strong title.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
It's very victim blame me, but I accept it. Okay.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
So Kiki Palmer and says a star in this film,
they are the dynamic deal that we didn't know where needed.
Speaker 4 (07:02):
They really are. They're like a matchmat and comedic heavin. Yeah,
have amazing chemistry. They're so dang funny together.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Kekey plays Drew, who's kind of meticulous and ambitious, and
then Sissa plays Alyssa, who's this aloof artist with a
heart of gold.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
So are you more of a Drew or an Alyssa.
Speaker 4 (07:21):
I'm definitely more of a Drew, but my Alyssa comes
out on my like impulsive side, So I say I'm
Drew by day Alyssa by night in some ways, because
I get.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
You know, Alyssa, She's just an artist. She just wants
to be free.
Speaker 4 (07:36):
She's very like spiritually in tune, and sometimes when I
want to be irresponsible, I channel Alyssa.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
Okay, it feels like we're witnessing the birth of an
acting career with Sizza.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
Out so right, yes, tell her that? Did she is?
She fighting?
Speaker 4 (07:52):
That she's this is her first, you know, feature film,
and she's incredib and Scissor wears her heart on her sleeve.
She's very vulnerable and she's also a perfectionist. She displays
this via her music and so she's very much in
her head about like this entire thing. But she killed it.
(08:13):
She should be in more things.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
Well, we all loved watching her on us and ol
I mean I'm still singing, big boy.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
What surprised you most about her performance in one of
them days.
Speaker 4 (08:23):
Her improv skills, Just how funny she is on her feet,
and you know, Kiki is an improv master.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
She's just so hilarious, and for her.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
To be able to go toe to toe with her
in like responding and saying just off the wall hilarious
things like somebody the lines of the movie on Siss's
side are and both of their sides are improv.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
I heard that. To bring in that sense of authenticity,
y'all even invited like some members of the community to
be part of the production for sure.
Speaker 4 (08:52):
Yeah, I mean shooting in La, it was important to
make sure that with the movie set in LA, that
we were featuring the actual neighborhoods represented, and so on
top of that, having background actors that were living in
the neighborhoods to give it that extra dose of authenticity.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Was you know Lawrence's idea.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
That also adds an unexpected element to those right, Like,
were there any funny encounters that y'all had during production?
Speaker 3 (09:17):
We had a lot of encounters. Honestly. You know, there
are some street rules in LA and we follow all codes.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
We have.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
We we asked the proper permission.
Speaker 4 (09:26):
But when you're shooting on streets like Crenshaw, when you're
shooting in the jungles, like a lot of things go down.
So we may have had some set incidents where we
may have had to shut down early. We had a
couple of misunderstandings, but that just comes with the territory
of being in la and again being in the neighborhoods
that were reflecting.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Did the streets show love?
Speaker 4 (09:47):
Though the streets showed love after the fact, after that, oh,
y'all good. We thought you didn't ask permission, but y'all good,
y'all good, respect love. And then neighborhoods, like when we
were shooting one of the scenes where versus a climbs
an electrical poll that was in a neighborhood and people
were coming out of their houses, you know, excited filming
like and Kat Williams was there, so they were excited
(10:09):
to see him, and it was just it was.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
So much love.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
I grew up on that man's comedy truly, like his
comedy Specials or the soundtrack to My College.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
The story of how this film got made is actually
really special. Because it all started when you invited the
screenwriter Srita Singleton into your company, Color Creative, which is
this talent incubator that you co founded to platform creatives
of color. How does it feel to see the fruits
of your labor on screen?
Speaker 3 (10:38):
I mean incredible. This has been such a long journey.
Speaker 4 (10:41):
You know, this was a six year process from development
and probably even longer to be honest. But to be
able to have one a first time screenwriter have a
theatrical debut in this day and age that gets to
be shot in La from her neighborhood, also a first
time featured director, and for him to kill it like
(11:02):
this is it. It's incredible to be able to like
come this far and worth it. And she was also
a writer on Insecure as well. She was a writer
on Insecure. We have a long working history together. She
show ran rap Shit, but this was all in the
works during the Insecure kind of run.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
So between Rap Shit, Insecure and now one of them days.
How heavy is it carrying the entire black female friendship
genre on your back? I mean, I'm amazed you can
even sit up straight right now.
Speaker 4 (11:36):
That's crazy. I love telling stories about black female friends.
I love watching them. There have been a few, like
Twenties Harlem, Run the World Rip. You know, there have
been a few, and I felt like we're just starving
for those sorts of girls trip. Obviously it's huge, but
like I could watch these kind of movies all day
(11:58):
because none of them are going to be this none
of them.
Speaker 3 (12:01):
Yes, yes, because we're also different. We're also different.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
So I know that you moved around a lot growing up, right,
you lived in Maryland and Senegal.
Speaker 3 (12:10):
Here in La.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
I really related to a part of your story, which
I haven't met many other people who have experienced this,
but you actually moved back to La.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
So I grew up in Miami and then I moved
to Memphis, Tennessee when I was in middle school, and
then moved back to Miami, and it just it threw
me for a loop in terms of searching for belonging.
I just didn't know where I fit in. It was
so hard to like catch up and find friends. And
I was just curious how those experiences of moving around
so much shaped the importance of female friendship for you tremendously.
Speaker 4 (12:44):
I don't know if it was the same for you,
but you know, like moving schools, there is a sense
of like, oh, I have to start over every single time,
and for me sometimes it was like, Ooh, let me
try on this new personality. Let me try to be
this new person here, to make it like that, to
identify I feel.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
Sometime right now the identity crisis.
Speaker 4 (13:03):
I have gone through so many identity crisis but I
think about, like, I don't think I settled into who
I was ironically to high school, because feel like that's
also a period of so much doubt. But middle school
was freaking terrible for me, and by high school I
was like, let me just shut up, calm down, get
straight a's, and get out the way. And that's why
I kind of found my friend group. And I'm still
(13:25):
friends with one of those people from my high school
to this day because that's they allowed me to kind
of be comfortable being me.
Speaker 3 (13:33):
And I'll never forget that.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
And we've also helped each other grow so much, and
we take each other to tasks and are super honest
with each other, which I love. So I'm here because
of my female friendships.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
Do your friends embrace your awkwardness?
Speaker 4 (13:50):
They have to, they have no choice. It's like it's
to be recivey it is to take that in. So yeah,
they do, and and I embraced theirs because they have
their moments too.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
I am just so grateful that you created awkward black
girls and secure on behalf of all awkward black girls everywhere.
It just felt so powerful to be seen and for
like our awkwardness to be normalized. Are you an awkward recovery?
Am I an awkward recovery?
Speaker 4 (14:18):
I was thinking about this the other day actually, because
people always ask me like, do you still feel awkward?
Speaker 3 (14:24):
And I'm like, I will for the rest of my life.
Speaker 4 (14:27):
But I think the difference is you become just like
it's a part of me, like take it, you know.
Speaker 3 (14:31):
I don't feel like it's a burden for others.
Speaker 4 (14:33):
There was a time where I'm just like, oh, why
do I have to be so uncomfortable because I'm making
others uncomfortable?
Speaker 3 (14:40):
And now I'm like, that's their problem. It is what
it is.
Speaker 4 (14:44):
And there's so much of like getting older where you're
just like, these are my flaws and I'm embracing in.
They're what make me me and I kind of love them.
Speaker 3 (14:56):
I have these awkward moments that I just replay in
my head of like.
Speaker 4 (14:58):
Every I still don' I hate living in an awkward loop,
like just that cringe loop of like why did I do?
Why did I say that? Why did I have if
I had just not? You know, that is the worst feeling.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
There is this scene that lives reck free in my head.
I was at this event in New York and I
was meeting these writers that I thought were so cool
and I threw up a high five in the middle
of the conversation.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
It was awful. I got so rejected. Isa, Wait, they
didn't even take that time. They did not for that. No,
they just looked at me, like what was the context?
It was just.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
I was it was a moment of validation of agreement
and they're rejected.
Speaker 4 (15:39):
Their assholes were rejecting you because and how many of
them were they They're like you know I do Oh, yes,
they're famous, they're in my circle. I don't know if okay,
because I would never free with people that would do that,
say name them, name them not.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
I want to have a job. I want to have
a job.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
But honestly, this moment is very redemptive for me. So
thank you, okay, So so much of your work is
just a love letter to friendship.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
What are your friendship green flags?
Speaker 4 (16:09):
Oh, friendship green flags? Women who love other women. I
love people who want to go to just dinner and eat.
When people want to have like a nighting, you want
to just like you, we all have to you know,
like that is not let's go out, but like you
want to just do something lowkey? That language out, You
want to just do something low key.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
Is my love language.
Speaker 4 (16:30):
Yes, even just recently, friendship green flag.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
Oh I'll take care of it. I got you. Oh no,
I got friends. Said that to you, not your man, ain't.
Might as well have it my man. Like I was like,
oh should I get a divorce? Should I? Should? We
just do this?
Speaker 4 (16:47):
Because it was like just so wow, you're so thoughtful.
I have a million friendship green flags, and yeah they're there.
Speaker 3 (16:57):
Is always gonna be women for me. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
I read something about your girl squad. We had Bozmo
Saint John on the show recently and she said that
y'all are in a group chat or at least you
were at one point called the West African Voltron.
Speaker 4 (17:15):
That is I was in that briefly, okay, very briefly
because I was like, oh, y'all are way more West
African than I am.
Speaker 3 (17:24):
Oh for real, well yes, because.
Speaker 4 (17:26):
They're like I have a to the point that you
mentioned of the like identity struggles I feel.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
I love my Senegalese side.
Speaker 4 (17:35):
I'm Senegalese all day, but I haven't lived spent most
of my life there, yeah, as much as those women.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
And so I was like, oh, y'all got it.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
I thought you were going to say you left the
group chat because you just can't handle group chats.
Speaker 4 (17:50):
That's what all group chats, all of them are mated.
Do you meet yours? Do you just leave?
Speaker 2 (17:55):
I basically don't respond. I'm that friend in the group
where like if we're organizing a girls trip, I won't
say anything for six months and then a week before
I'll be like, all right, where do I need to go?
Speaker 3 (18:04):
What are the details? I hate you? I alan fair,
that's fair.
Speaker 4 (18:11):
But if it's like, because I'm like, give me something
to do, get group chat where it's just like haha
and you get a million notifications because it's tap bags.
Speaker 3 (18:19):
Or whatever, I'm like, mute, mute, mute, I'll join it
and laugh later.
Speaker 4 (18:22):
I don't need to do this in real time, Like
I don't want to just be chatting all day.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
Yeah, but if we're doing something and it's details.
Speaker 4 (18:29):
I hate when my friend is like, Okay, what's the
information and it's like you if you had just been
paying attention.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
No, but okay, here's the thing. I can't scroll through
sixty texts to go back to the information. It's lost.
It's lost in the canon of the time.
Speaker 4 (18:43):
That's what email is for, Like your group chat, is
to get the initial planning who's down, and then you
send an email to be like, these are the details.
Speaker 3 (18:50):
So yeah, that's fair. I forgive you. Thank you.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
This has been a really full circle of healing conversation.
So in the spirit of one of them, I am
dying to know. What is the most chaotic night out
on record that you had with the Insecure cast?
Speaker 3 (19:06):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (19:08):
Oh man, I can't even say it. It's tainted. Can
you redact certain bills?
Speaker 1 (19:14):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (19:15):
I mean it was all a rat party and we
went to many other parties afterwards, huh, and a bigger
party and it was fun.
Speaker 3 (19:25):
I can't sadly it's a rat. How late did the
night end? That's all I need to know.
Speaker 4 (19:29):
It didn't end that late, but it was more about
like we were all together and just having a good time,
probably like to one or two because I can't I'm
not a four am, six am girly.
Speaker 3 (19:39):
It really has to be a special occasion. Yeah, but it.
Speaker 4 (19:42):
Was just like I love hanging out with him and
Jay who plays Lawrence. He rarely goes out, like it's
such it's like pulling teeth to get him to go out.
He shut up to mayacht party like the first year
and then never came. And then in occasionally when he's
ready to go out, it's like, oh, we got to
make this an occasion.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
So him being out is exciting.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
And whenever that friend who never comes out comes out,
it's like, oh.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
Yes, we're rallying and it has to be a good night,
you know.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Okay, I gotta know about these yacht parties. I know
you just had a big birthday, did you?
Speaker 3 (20:16):
Did you? I'm about to have a big bath.
Speaker 4 (20:17):
You're now schedule because yes, I'm about to have a
big birthday.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
Okay, are you getting drunk on a boat this year?
Speaker 4 (20:25):
I want to, but where I'm going apparently has rough waters.
And my friend sent me a video of like the
Housewives struggling on a boat, and he was like this
about to be us if you have us on a
boat on your birthday.
Speaker 3 (20:40):
No, so I guess not.
Speaker 4 (20:43):
I was just on a boat in Greece recently, so
I kind of got my boat fixed.
Speaker 3 (20:48):
So but I will be by water, that's essential.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
Okay, yes, yeah, I'm catching on to a theme here,
boats water.
Speaker 3 (20:55):
I love it. That's that's peace. Yeah, I'm gonna get
real deep for a second. That's cool. Oh god, Okay, sure.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
And then we'll go back to laughing, I promise. So
I'm rewatching Insecure to prepare for this interview, right, and
I'm haunted by this one line and the pilot.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
The line is.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
What would life look like if you really went after
what you wanted? Something like that, And I'm curious what
was the moment when you decided to really go after
what you wanted?
Speaker 4 (21:25):
I think, for sure in releasing Awkward Black Girl, because
that was really scary for me. But even then I
still had a crunch of other jobs. I think when
I finally just quit my job to pursue whatever this
was going to be. I got a manager, I got
a representation, and I thought that meant like, oh, I'm
(21:47):
about to be making money because woo, I'm signed and
so I was like my job and then I was
not making money and that was really hard for a while.
But I was like, I'm going full thar, like I'm
going after this. By that time, we were about five
episodes in and it was getting traction and I was like,
I just want to devote my time to making this
(22:09):
and see where it leads and if I didn't do that.
At the time, I was also just about to try to,
like before I released Upper Black Girl, I was going
to kind of give up on living in LA and
try to move to Senegal and try to start. Like
their music videos were always trash, like they didn't have
good production value. So I was like, well, maybe I
can go out there and become a director and try
(22:30):
to like make something in myself out there. And then
I was like, let me just try this Upper Black
Girl thing, and that popped off.
Speaker 3 (22:37):
So that was the beginning of going after what I wanted.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
I actually heard you say once that cutting off your hair,
like doing the big chop right around that time when
you launched Awkward Black Girl was really transformative and liberating
for you.
Speaker 3 (22:52):
Yeah, tell me about that. I recommend that for everyone.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
Well, I'm thinking now about should I maybe I need
to chop all my hair off.
Speaker 4 (22:59):
Honestly, every person I know that has chopped their hair off,
their life has changed. It really is just a different energy.
You just it's a cleansing of sorts. And because you're
bald or pay whatever you have, like there's a bravery
to you and it feels like you're dared to be
(23:22):
a new person and dared to go after what you
want because it is such a both thing, Like so
much of our identity is wrapped in our hair, and
so when you shed that, you're just like, oh, what
else can I do? What else can I shed? And
that's been that to me, has been the most encouraging
part of the head shave. It's just I became who
(23:42):
I wanted to be.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
There's something really liberating too about not presenting for the
male gaze.
Speaker 3 (23:50):
You know.
Speaker 4 (23:51):
Yes, I definitely had a boyfriend at the time who
was like, don't do it. Don't I was like, excuse you,
I'm about to do this. How many I eventually lived due.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
Yeah, we've got to take a short break, but when
we come back, we've got more ray and we're back
with the ray. Isa, you have so many talents and skills.
What do you think your creative superpower.
Speaker 4 (24:21):
Is My creative superpower, I think is it's a specific POV.
Speaker 3 (24:28):
It's a lens.
Speaker 4 (24:29):
Like I think I'm really good at seeing, like like
editing in real time and determining how something will play out.
And yeah, I think that, Like I think I have
a good comedic sense ability.
Speaker 2 (24:44):
Is there an aspect of your superpower that you feel
like you haven't tapped into yet or you're looking forward
to exploring?
Speaker 4 (24:49):
So many like and I don't know that there's superpowers yet.
I just want to find out. But there's so many
things that I have not done, Like I haven't really
explored the drama side of of like the behind the
scenes work and even creating or producing. There's so many
different genres and worlds that I want to play in,
and I just want to know what I'm good at
and what I'm not good at. And I ideally I
(25:12):
know that privately, but now I'm at a stage where,
like so much of what I do is public and
up for scrutiny, And that's the that's the scary part
where it's like I can't just do a little web
series and some people watch it and.
Speaker 3 (25:26):
If it sucks. Nobody will know.
Speaker 4 (25:28):
Now if I try something new, then I'm like held
to a specific standard.
Speaker 3 (25:32):
But I kind of have to get over that fear
and just do it.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Yeah, that's a great point because it's like where's your
sandbox now? Or where is your place for experimentation?
Speaker 3 (25:41):
It's really just it's all private.
Speaker 4 (25:43):
And I've never really written and shared work except when
I have to, So it's yeah, I don't have many
areas for experimentation.
Speaker 3 (25:55):
It all stays in my head. Well why not just
trust yourself?
Speaker 4 (25:59):
Though I do to a certain extent, but somebody you
need also resources to make things happen. So like, even
if I wanted to play in this world, like even
if I write something, then it still has to get made,
Like there's certain things. Of course I can fund myself
if it's on a smaller scale, but yeah, I do
trust myself to an extent, except if I'm hanging for
(26:23):
it myself.
Speaker 3 (26:25):
That's more risky. Yeah, totally.
Speaker 2 (26:28):
Well, I think you've got this other superpower, which is
your entrepreneurial and nonprofit efforts. And I am a native Angelina.
Even though I grew up in Miami, I was born here,
spent a lot of time in like Baldwin Hills when
I was growing up, and so I was really excited
to talk to you about your real estate development work
in South LA. And I honestly had no idea how
(26:49):
much you were investing into infrastructure in black communities. You're
part of Destination Crenshaw, which is a new hub for
black culture, community and economic development. You have your ownership
in Hilltop Cafe, Somerville Restaurant now, which is providing job
opportunities for folks in the community.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
And I just think about.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
How there are hundreds of well resourced actors in this
town who don't give back to our city the way
that you do.
Speaker 3 (27:15):
What is this city given to you? I think, to
be fair to them, this is like I grew up here.
Speaker 4 (27:21):
So yes, I grew up in Bowen Hills in View
Park in South LA and spent a lot of time
at Englewood because my grandparents live there and live there myself,
and I just love where I'm from, and I think
there's just it comes from a natural want of these
(27:42):
spaces in my own communities that I love so much.
I think if you don't have an attachment to LA
in that way, then you know, why would you feel
compelled to invest. But I know of other people doing
it in their own community, like whether it's in Detroit,
like I think by Lawrence me and from Detroit and
all the he's contributed there, And you know, I think
(28:03):
it just depends on your love of where you're from.
Speaker 3 (28:06):
I will defend LA to the day I die. I'm easily.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
I hate whenever people you know, I'm not even gonna
say I hate because it doesn't bother me anymore.
Speaker 3 (28:12):
But whenever people trash LA, I'm like, you just don't
get it.
Speaker 4 (28:16):
I have a friend that is from LA but just
moved to New York and he's just like, New York
is so much better than La. Oh my god. LA
has no culture. And I'm like, come dam Like you're
going through a little New York. You're in New York
in your thirties, You're like, oh wow, this place is magical,
and you don't have to do that at the expense
of LA because LA has all that. You've just never
(28:37):
been there, you know, you've never been to the right parts.
Speaker 2 (28:40):
Exactly, And good luck being in your thirties and New York.
Speaker 3 (28:46):
Yeah, good luck.
Speaker 2 (28:46):
Good Look that's for your twenties, Okay, I have one
last question for you. There's ray Irl and then there's
like on the Internet, and I feel like on the
Internet is like this larger than my figure because there
are these trending sounds that you have become known for,
these iconic sound bites, Like there's one that came into
(29:08):
my feed the other day. It's the one that goes
like you wake up at the mirror and you realize
these other bitches ain't even close. Do you have a
favorite ray meme or trending sound? I don't know what's sure.
I don't know what's trending.
Speaker 3 (29:22):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (29:23):
I know that Me season I was like the only
thing where I know like, oh this was this became
a thing and that cracked me up. And even Rihanna
responded to that because the second half of that was
like it's me season unless Beyonce and Rihanna released something.
I was begging them not to release something. So Rihanna
was like, don't worry about me since I've got released
in that thing. I was like, yay, but but I
(29:48):
guess that, yeah, I don't know what else is out there.
I love that people claim a season as their own.
Speaker 3 (29:55):
Yes, Okay, So as you enter into this big birthday.
What are you in now? What era are you now?
Speaker 4 (30:02):
I'm trying to be in a fine forties, you know
what I'm saying. I'm just like, like just that. That's
what it's about, to be an apologetic, like the aspirational
version of myself that I want to be. Maybe maybe
I am going to dress up to go into work.
Nobody hold me today, but maybe maybe I'm gonna be
who I envision myself being in my head.
Speaker 3 (30:22):
Wait, what do you normally wear to work?
Speaker 4 (30:25):
Jeans? T shirt, sometimes sweats. If I know nobody's going
to see me.
Speaker 3 (30:29):
Never change, never change. Thank you so much, so much.
Speaker 2 (30:37):
Isra is the co creator and Starve and Secure and
creator of rap Shit. Her latest film, One of Them Days,
hits theaters tomorrow Friday, January seventeenth. That's it for today's show. Tomorrow,
we're popping off on all the latest pop culture stories
with comedian and actor Tehran. Join the conversation using hashtag
(30:59):
the bright Side and connect with us on social media
at Hello Sunshine on Instagram and at the bright Side
Pod on TikTok oh, and feel free to tag us
at Simone Voice and at Danielle robe.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
Listen and follow the bright side on the iHeartRadio app,
Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 2 (31:17):
See you tomorrow, folks, keep looking on the bright side.
Hello Sunshine.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Hey fam Today on the bright Side, a Hollywood legend
is in the house. Y'all. She's a woman who needs
no introduction, but we'll give you a little bit.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
Anyways, We've got the.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Co creator and star of Insecure, Esa Ray here with
us today and we're talking about her hilarious new film
One of Them Days, plus why Shall Forever be an
Awkward Black Girl.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
It's Thursday, January sixteenth.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
I'm Danielle Robe, I'm Simone Boyce, and this is the
bright Side from Hello Sunshine.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Issa Ray is here today, Simone. She's such a powerhouse.
I mean, from starting on YouTube to becoming a major
force in Hollywood, I feel like ESA's really made her mark.
She's the creative mind behind the hit show Insecure that
I loved. She starred in three Oscar nominated films, and
she even took on the role of president in Barbie.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
Do you remember that? Yes, she's my president? Yes, oh
my god. Well, okay.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
The fact that she started on YouTube is wild to
me because she's leveraged her web series Awkward Black Girl
to build a platform for underrepresented voices, and now her
latest endeavor involves the development of a new studio campus
in South Los Angeles.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Like, is Esta going to be the head of a
studio that is iconic?
Speaker 1 (01:19):
I feel like her success has paved the way for
a new generation of creators, really showing Hollywood that there's
a vast, engaged audience for stories outside of the traditional mold.
We've always known that, but Esa proved it. I really
think that's a shift that she helped catalyze.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
You mentioned her series Awkward Black Girl, and I wonder
how many people out there know about that series and
what it actually took to become insecure. I mean, she
really bet on herself in a huge way, and she
was bootstrapping that series and you know, paying for it
herself and begging for favors from friends, and just takes
(01:57):
a lot of faith in yourself and in your time
talents to do that and put so much on the line.
I mean, she she literally quit a job in order
to make that dream a reality, and it did become
a reality. And what came out of Awkward Black Girl
is Insecure, one of the most successful shows that Max
has ever seen. So she is such a huge inspiration
(02:20):
in that way, and I just find I find Issa
the person to be so inspiring too. Like all of
her interviews and sound bites, there's one that comes to
mind when she talks about the value of networking across
and not just networking above, not just thinking about how
to make relationships with people who are more powerful than you,
(02:41):
but thinking about how can I how can I partner
up with peers who I admire, and how can we
rise together?
Speaker 3 (02:47):
I love that perspective.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
It's interesting you mentioned that one because a few of
our guests on the show have quoted her. They've cited
that quote. She just has the knack or saying it
like it is and getting a laugh like I think.
Her work seamlessly blends humor with social commentary, tackling issues
like race and gender and systemic inequities while remaining entertaining
(03:12):
and accessible. I'm so bummed I missed this interview. I
can't wait to hear it.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Simon.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
I know I wanted you to be there so we
could sing broken Pussy together.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Oh my God.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
For anyone who doesn't know, broken Pussy is the name
of a song that Isa sings in the pilot of Insecure,
and it's hilarious.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
You have to go watch it if you haven't seen it.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
I got to sit down with Isa while she was
promoting her new movie One of Them Days. It's a
really cool story behind it. She really shepherded the writer
of this film, Serita Singleton, and this is just what
Isara does. She finds creators of color and she embraces
them and nurtures them. And Serta worked with her on
(03:58):
Insecure and now there may this movie together and it's
also starring Keiki Palmer and Sizza. So cool to see
Sissa in an acting capacity for the first time. I
think this is the first of many iconic acting roles
for her. But this film is all about two best
friends and roommates who are on a mission to get
their rent in on time or else they'll get evicted.
(04:19):
And of course, you know in South Los Angeles, hijinks ensue,
hilarity ensues. But I love that this is a film
about friendship because at the end of the day, that
is that's one of our themes that we love to
talk about on the bright side so much.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Absolutely, it was kind of being marketed as this like
female buddy cop movie, which it's interesting that it was
female buddy cop because that means that the regular buddy
cop movie is default male. But this film was really
inspired by some of these classic movies like Baps, which
came out in nineteen ninety seven. It was starring Halle
Berry and Natalie decel. It was inspired by nineteen ninety
(04:56):
five's Friday and I know this it's funny, but Bapps.
I actually just saw it for the first time this year.
It is hilarious. It's like the original Rome and Michelle's
high school reunion. And I just love like friendship is
at the heart of all of these movies.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
You know, Lisa is a girl's girl.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
Yeah, there's a reason why friendship, and specifically black female
friendship comes up so much in the projects that she does,
and we love to see it.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
She has this knack for displaying friendships in a real
way too, you know, like it's not sort of this
idealized version.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
It's really honest and raw and she gets She's not
afraid to get into the messy parts of friendship.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Okay, well, enough of us, let's get to this interview.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
That's right after the break. Stay with us, Lisa Ray,
Welcome to the bright Side. Thank you so much.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
We are so thrilled to have you. Congratulations on one
of them days. It's Giving Friday, it's giving baps, it's
even giving a little super bad Let's go right, and
it chronicles this hilariously bad day through the eyes of
two best friends. So I'm coming out the gate hot.
I'm not gonna lie, okay at me. If your friends
(06:18):
had to make a movie about a terrible day that
you had, what would the title be?
Speaker 3 (06:22):
And why?
Speaker 4 (06:23):
Oh man, that is hot out the gate? Probably what's
wrong with You? Yeah, it would be that get I
get asked that a lot by my friend group, where
it's just like either I could have done something better
or like in an easier way, or I might say
something ridiculous, or I might have said something to get
(06:46):
it meet myself in a situation.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
So what's wrong with she would for sure be the title.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
I feel like that just sums it all up. Yeah,
you know, it's a really strong title.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
It's very victim blame me, but I accept it. Okay.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
So Kiki Palmer and says a star in this film,
they are the dynamic deal that we didn't know where needed.
Speaker 4 (07:02):
They really are. They're like a matchmat and comedic heavin. Yeah,
have amazing chemistry. They're so dang funny together.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Kekey plays Drew, who's kind of meticulous and ambitious, and
then Sissa plays Alyssa, who's this aloof artist with a
heart of gold.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
So are you more of a Drew or an Alyssa.
Speaker 4 (07:21):
I'm definitely more of a Drew, but my Alyssa comes
out on my like impulsive side, So I say I'm
Drew by day Alyssa by night in some ways, because
I get.
Speaker 3 (07:33):
You know, Alyssa, She's just an artist. She just wants
to be free.
Speaker 4 (07:36):
She's very like spiritually in tune, and sometimes when I
want to be irresponsible, I channel Alyssa.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
Okay, it feels like we're witnessing the birth of an
acting career with Sizza.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
Out so right, yes, tell her that? Did she is?
She fighting?
Speaker 4 (07:52):
That she's this is her first, you know, feature film,
and she's incredib and Scissor wears her heart on her sleeve.
She's very vulnerable and she's also a perfectionist. She displays
this via her music and so she's very much in
her head about like this entire thing. But she killed it.
(08:13):
She should be in more things.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
Well, we all loved watching her on us and ol
I mean I'm still singing, big boy.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
What surprised you most about her performance in one of
them days.
Speaker 4 (08:23):
Her improv skills, Just how funny she is on her feet,
and you know, Kiki is an improv master.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
She's just so hilarious, and for her.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
To be able to go toe to toe with her
in like responding and saying just off the wall hilarious
things like somebody the lines of the movie on Siss's
side are and both of their sides are improv.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
I heard that. To bring in that sense of authenticity,
y'all even invited like some members of the community to
be part of the production for sure.
Speaker 4 (08:52):
Yeah, I mean shooting in La, it was important to
make sure that with the movie set in LA, that
we were featuring the actual neighborhoods represented, and so on
top of that, having background actors that were living in
the neighborhoods to give it that extra dose of authenticity.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Was you know Lawrence's idea.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
That also adds an unexpected element to those right, Like,
were there any funny encounters that y'all had during production?
Speaker 3 (09:17):
We had a lot of encounters. Honestly. You know, there
are some street rules in LA and we follow all codes.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
We have.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
We we asked the proper permission.
Speaker 4 (09:26):
But when you're shooting on streets like Crenshaw, when you're
shooting in the jungles, like a lot of things go down.
So we may have had some set incidents where we
may have had to shut down early. We had a
couple of misunderstandings, but that just comes with the territory
of being in la and again being in the neighborhoods
that were reflecting.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Did the streets show love?
Speaker 4 (09:47):
Though the streets showed love after the fact, after that, oh,
y'all good. We thought you didn't ask permission, but y'all good,
y'all good, respect love. And then neighborhoods, like when we
were shooting one of the scenes where versus a climbs
an electrical poll that was in a neighborhood and people
were coming out of their houses, you know, excited filming
like and Kat Williams was there, so they were excited
(10:09):
to see him, and it was just it was.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
So much love.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
I grew up on that man's comedy truly, like his
comedy Specials or the soundtrack to My College.
Speaker 3 (10:18):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
The story of how this film got made is actually
really special. Because it all started when you invited the
screenwriter Srita Singleton into your company, Color Creative, which is
this talent incubator that you co founded to platform creatives
of color. How does it feel to see the fruits
of your labor on screen?
Speaker 3 (10:38):
I mean incredible. This has been such a long journey.
Speaker 4 (10:41):
You know, this was a six year process from development
and probably even longer to be honest. But to be
able to have one a first time screenwriter have a
theatrical debut in this day and age that gets to
be shot in La from her neighborhood, also a first
time featured director, and for him to kill it like
(11:02):
this is it. It's incredible to be able to like
come this far and worth it. And she was also
a writer on Insecure as well. She was a writer
on Insecure. We have a long working history together. She
show ran rap Shit, but this was all in the
works during the Insecure kind of run.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
So between Rap Shit, Insecure and now one of them days.
How heavy is it carrying the entire black female friendship
genre on your back? I mean, I'm amazed you can
even sit up straight right now.
Speaker 4 (11:36):
That's crazy. I love telling stories about black female friends.
I love watching them. There have been a few, like
Twenties Harlem, Run the World Rip. You know, there have
been a few, and I felt like we're just starving
for those sorts of girls trip. Obviously it's huge, but
like I could watch these kind of movies all day
(11:58):
because none of them are going to be this none
of them.
Speaker 3 (12:01):
Yes, yes, because we're also different. We're also different.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
So I know that you moved around a lot growing up, right,
you lived in Maryland and Senegal.
Speaker 3 (12:10):
Here in La.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
I really related to a part of your story, which
I haven't met many other people who have experienced this,
but you actually moved back to La.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
So I grew up in Miami and then I moved
to Memphis, Tennessee when I was in middle school, and
then moved back to Miami, and it just it threw
me for a loop in terms of searching for belonging.
I just didn't know where I fit in. It was
so hard to like catch up and find friends. And
I was just curious how those experiences of moving around
so much shaped the importance of female friendship for you tremendously.
Speaker 4 (12:44):
I don't know if it was the same for you,
but you know, like moving schools, there is a sense
of like, oh, I have to start over every single time,
and for me sometimes it was like, Ooh, let me
try on this new personality. Let me try to be
this new person here, to make it like that, to
identify I feel.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
Sometime right now the identity crisis.
Speaker 4 (13:03):
I have gone through so many identity crisis but I
think about, like, I don't think I settled into who
I was ironically to high school, because feel like that's
also a period of so much doubt. But middle school
was freaking terrible for me, and by high school I
was like, let me just shut up, calm down, get
straight a's, and get out the way. And that's why
I kind of found my friend group. And I'm still
(13:25):
friends with one of those people from my high school
to this day because that's they allowed me to kind
of be comfortable being me.
Speaker 3 (13:33):
And I'll never forget that.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
And we've also helped each other grow so much, and
we take each other to tasks and are super honest
with each other, which I love. So I'm here because
of my female friendships.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
Do your friends embrace your awkwardness?
Speaker 4 (13:50):
They have to, they have no choice. It's like it's
to be recivey it is to take that in. So yeah,
they do, and and I embraced theirs because they have
their moments too.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
I am just so grateful that you created awkward black
girls and secure on behalf of all awkward black girls everywhere.
It just felt so powerful to be seen and for
like our awkwardness to be normalized. Are you an awkward recovery?
Am I an awkward recovery?
Speaker 4 (14:18):
I was thinking about this the other day actually, because
people always ask me like, do you still feel awkward?
Speaker 3 (14:24):
And I'm like, I will for the rest of my life.
Speaker 4 (14:27):
But I think the difference is you become just like
it's a part of me, like take it, you know.
Speaker 3 (14:31):
I don't feel like it's a burden for others.
Speaker 4 (14:33):
There was a time where I'm just like, oh, why
do I have to be so uncomfortable because I'm making
others uncomfortable?
Speaker 3 (14:40):
And now I'm like, that's their problem. It is what
it is.
Speaker 4 (14:44):
And there's so much of like getting older where you're
just like, these are my flaws and I'm embracing in.
They're what make me me and I kind of love them.
Speaker 3 (14:56):
I have these awkward moments that I just replay in
my head of like.
Speaker 4 (14:58):
Every I still don' I hate living in an awkward loop,
like just that cringe loop of like why did I do?
Why did I say that? Why did I have if
I had just not? You know, that is the worst feeling.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
There is this scene that lives reck free in my head.
I was at this event in New York and I
was meeting these writers that I thought were so cool
and I threw up a high five in the middle
of the conversation.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
It was awful. I got so rejected. Isa, Wait, they
didn't even take that time. They did not for that. No,
they just looked at me, like what was the context?
It was just.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
I was it was a moment of validation of agreement
and they're rejected.
Speaker 4 (15:39):
Their assholes were rejecting you because and how many of
them were they They're like you know I do Oh, yes,
they're famous, they're in my circle. I don't know if okay,
because I would never free with people that would do that,
say name them, name them not.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
I want to have a job. I want to have
a job.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
But honestly, this moment is very redemptive for me. So
thank you, okay, So so much of your work is
just a love letter to friendship.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
What are your friendship green flags?
Speaker 4 (16:09):
Oh, friendship green flags? Women who love other women. I
love people who want to go to just dinner and eat.
When people want to have like a nighting, you want
to just like you, we all have to you know,
like that is not let's go out, but like you
want to just do something lowkey? That language out, You
want to just do something low key.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
Is my love language.
Speaker 4 (16:30):
Yes, even just recently, friendship green flag.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
Oh I'll take care of it. I got you. Oh no,
I got friends. Said that to you, not your man, ain't.
Might as well have it my man. Like I was like,
oh should I get a divorce? Should I? Should? We
just do this?
Speaker 4 (16:47):
Because it was like just so wow, you're so thoughtful.
I have a million friendship green flags, and yeah they're there.
Speaker 3 (16:57):
Is always gonna be women for me. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
I read something about your girl squad. We had Bozmo
Saint John on the show recently and she said that
y'all are in a group chat or at least you
were at one point called the West African Voltron.
Speaker 4 (17:15):
That is I was in that briefly, okay, very briefly
because I was like, oh, y'all are way more West
African than I am.
Speaker 3 (17:24):
Oh for real, well yes, because.
Speaker 4 (17:26):
They're like I have a to the point that you
mentioned of the like identity struggles I feel.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
I love my Senegalese side.
Speaker 4 (17:35):
I'm Senegalese all day, but I haven't lived spent most
of my life there, yeah, as much as those women.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
And so I was like, oh, y'all got it.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
I thought you were going to say you left the
group chat because you just can't handle group chats.
Speaker 4 (17:50):
That's what all group chats, all of them are mated.
Do you meet yours? Do you just leave?
Speaker 2 (17:55):
I basically don't respond. I'm that friend in the group
where like if we're organizing a girls trip, I won't
say anything for six months and then a week before
I'll be like, all right, where do I need to go?
Speaker 3 (18:04):
What are the details? I hate you? I alan fair,
that's fair.
Speaker 4 (18:11):
But if it's like, because I'm like, give me something
to do, get group chat where it's just like haha
and you get a million notifications because it's tap bags.
Speaker 3 (18:19):
Or whatever, I'm like, mute, mute, mute, I'll join it
and laugh later.
Speaker 4 (18:22):
I don't need to do this in real time, Like
I don't want to just be chatting all day.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
Yeah, but if we're doing something and it's details.
Speaker 4 (18:29):
I hate when my friend is like, Okay, what's the
information and it's like you if you had just been
paying attention.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
No, but okay, here's the thing. I can't scroll through
sixty texts to go back to the information. It's lost.
It's lost in the canon of the time.
Speaker 4 (18:43):
That's what email is for, Like your group chat, is
to get the initial planning who's down, and then you
send an email to be like, these are the details.
Speaker 3 (18:50):
So yeah, that's fair. I forgive you. Thank you.
Speaker 2 (18:54):
This has been a really full circle of healing conversation.
So in the spirit of one of them, I am
dying to know. What is the most chaotic night out
on record that you had with the Insecure cast?
Speaker 3 (19:06):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (19:08):
Oh man, I can't even say it. It's tainted. Can
you redact certain bills?
Speaker 1 (19:14):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (19:15):
I mean it was all a rat party and we
went to many other parties afterwards, huh, and a bigger
party and it was fun.
Speaker 3 (19:25):
I can't sadly it's a rat. How late did the
night end? That's all I need to know.
Speaker 4 (19:29):
It didn't end that late, but it was more about
like we were all together and just having a good time,
probably like to one or two because I can't I'm
not a four am, six am girly.
Speaker 3 (19:39):
It really has to be a special occasion. Yeah, but it.
Speaker 4 (19:42):
Was just like I love hanging out with him and
Jay who plays Lawrence. He rarely goes out, like it's
such it's like pulling teeth to get him to go out.
He shut up to mayacht party like the first year
and then never came. And then in occasionally when he's
ready to go out, it's like, oh, we got to
make this an occasion.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
So him being out is exciting.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
And whenever that friend who never comes out comes out,
it's like, oh.
Speaker 3 (20:07):
Yes, we're rallying and it has to be a good night,
you know.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Okay, I gotta know about these yacht parties. I know
you just had a big birthday, did you?
Speaker 3 (20:16):
Did you? I'm about to have a big bath.
Speaker 4 (20:17):
You're now schedule because yes, I'm about to have a
big birthday.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
Okay, are you getting drunk on a boat this year?
Speaker 4 (20:25):
I want to, but where I'm going apparently has rough waters.
And my friend sent me a video of like the
Housewives struggling on a boat, and he was like this
about to be us if you have us on a
boat on your birthday.
Speaker 3 (20:40):
No, so I guess not.
Speaker 4 (20:43):
I was just on a boat in Greece recently, so
I kind of got my boat fixed.
Speaker 3 (20:48):
So but I will be by water, that's essential.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
Okay, yes, yeah, I'm catching on to a theme here,
boats water.
Speaker 3 (20:55):
I love it. That's that's peace. Yeah, I'm gonna get
real deep for a second. That's cool. Oh god, Okay, sure.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
And then we'll go back to laughing, I promise. So
I'm rewatching Insecure to prepare for this interview, right, and
I'm haunted by this one line and the pilot.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
The line is.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
What would life look like if you really went after
what you wanted? Something like that, And I'm curious what
was the moment when you decided to really go after
what you wanted?
Speaker 4 (21:25):
I think, for sure in releasing Awkward Black Girl, because
that was really scary for me. But even then I
still had a crunch of other jobs. I think when
I finally just quit my job to pursue whatever this
was going to be. I got a manager, I got
a representation, and I thought that meant like, oh, I'm
(21:47):
about to be making money because woo, I'm signed and
so I was like my job and then I was
not making money and that was really hard for a while.
But I was like, I'm going full thar, like I'm
going after this. By that time, we were about five
episodes in and it was getting traction and I was like,
I just want to devote my time to making this
(22:09):
and see where it leads and if I didn't do that.
At the time, I was also just about to try to,
like before I released Upper Black Girl, I was going
to kind of give up on living in LA and
try to move to Senegal and try to start. Like
their music videos were always trash, like they didn't have
good production value. So I was like, well, maybe I
can go out there and become a director and try
(22:30):
to like make something in myself out there. And then
I was like, let me just try this Upper Black
Girl thing, and that popped off.
Speaker 3 (22:37):
So that was the beginning of going after what I wanted.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
I actually heard you say once that cutting off your hair,
like doing the big chop right around that time when
you launched Awkward Black Girl was really transformative and liberating
for you.
Speaker 3 (22:52):
Yeah, tell me about that. I recommend that for everyone.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
Well, I'm thinking now about should I maybe I need
to chop all my hair off.
Speaker 4 (22:59):
Honestly, every person I know that has chopped their hair off,
their life has changed. It really is just a different energy.
You just it's a cleansing of sorts. And because you're
bald or pay whatever you have, like there's a bravery
to you and it feels like you're dared to be
(23:22):
a new person and dared to go after what you
want because it is such a both thing, Like so
much of our identity is wrapped in our hair, and
so when you shed that, you're just like, oh, what
else can I do? What else can I shed? And
that's been that to me, has been the most encouraging
part of the head shave. It's just I became who
(23:42):
I wanted to be.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
There's something really liberating too about not presenting for the
male gaze.
Speaker 3 (23:50):
You know.
Speaker 4 (23:51):
Yes, I definitely had a boyfriend at the time who
was like, don't do it. Don't I was like, excuse you,
I'm about to do this. How many I eventually lived due.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
Yeah, we've got to take a short break, but when
we come back, we've got more ray and we're back
with the ray. Isa, you have so many talents and skills.
What do you think your creative superpower.
Speaker 4 (24:21):
Is My creative superpower, I think is it's a specific POV.
Speaker 3 (24:28):
It's a lens.
Speaker 4 (24:29):
Like I think I'm really good at seeing, like like
editing in real time and determining how something will play out.
And yeah, I think that, Like I think I have
a good comedic sense ability.
Speaker 2 (24:44):
Is there an aspect of your superpower that you feel
like you haven't tapped into yet or you're looking forward
to exploring?
Speaker 4 (24:49):
So many like and I don't know that there's superpowers yet.
I just want to find out. But there's so many
things that I have not done, Like I haven't really
explored the drama side of of like the behind the
scenes work and even creating or producing. There's so many
different genres and worlds that I want to play in,
and I just want to know what I'm good at
and what I'm not good at. And I ideally I
(25:12):
know that privately, but now I'm at a stage where,
like so much of what I do is public and
up for scrutiny, And that's the that's the scary part
where it's like I can't just do a little web
series and some people watch it and.
Speaker 3 (25:26):
If it sucks. Nobody will know.
Speaker 4 (25:28):
Now if I try something new, then I'm like held
to a specific standard.
Speaker 3 (25:32):
But I kind of have to get over that fear
and just do it.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Yeah, that's a great point because it's like where's your
sandbox now? Or where is your place for experimentation?
Speaker 3 (25:41):
It's really just it's all private.
Speaker 4 (25:43):
And I've never really written and shared work except when
I have to, So it's yeah, I don't have many
areas for experimentation.
Speaker 3 (25:55):
It all stays in my head. Well why not just
trust yourself?
Speaker 4 (25:59):
Though I do to a certain extent, but somebody you
need also resources to make things happen. So like, even
if I wanted to play in this world, like even
if I write something, then it still has to get made,
Like there's certain things. Of course I can fund myself
if it's on a smaller scale, but yeah, I do
trust myself to an extent, except if I'm hanging for
(26:23):
it myself.
Speaker 3 (26:25):
That's more risky. Yeah, totally.
Speaker 2 (26:28):
Well, I think you've got this other superpower, which is
your entrepreneurial and nonprofit efforts. And I am a native Angelina.
Even though I grew up in Miami, I was born here,
spent a lot of time in like Baldwin Hills when
I was growing up, and so I was really excited
to talk to you about your real estate development work
in South LA. And I honestly had no idea how
(26:49):
much you were investing into infrastructure in black communities. You're
part of Destination Crenshaw, which is a new hub for
black culture, community and economic development. You have your ownership
in Hilltop Cafe, Somerville Restaurant now, which is providing job
opportunities for folks in the community.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
And I just think about.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
How there are hundreds of well resourced actors in this
town who don't give back to our city the way
that you do.
Speaker 3 (27:15):
What is this city given to you? I think, to
be fair to them, this is like I grew up here.
Speaker 4 (27:21):
So yes, I grew up in Bowen Hills in View
Park in South LA and spent a lot of time
at Englewood because my grandparents live there and live there myself,
and I just love where I'm from, and I think
there's just it comes from a natural want of these
(27:42):
spaces in my own communities that I love so much.
I think if you don't have an attachment to LA
in that way, then you know, why would you feel
compelled to invest. But I know of other people doing
it in their own community, like whether it's in Detroit,
like I think by Lawrence me and from Detroit and
all the he's contributed there, And you know, I think
(28:03):
it just depends on your love of where you're from.
Speaker 3 (28:06):
I will defend LA to the day I die. I'm easily.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
I hate whenever people you know, I'm not even gonna
say I hate because it doesn't bother me anymore.
Speaker 3 (28:12):
But whenever people trash LA, I'm like, you just don't
get it.
Speaker 4 (28:16):
I have a friend that is from LA but just
moved to New York and he's just like, New York
is so much better than La. Oh my god. LA
has no culture. And I'm like, come dam Like you're
going through a little New York. You're in New York
in your thirties, You're like, oh wow, this place is magical,
and you don't have to do that at the expense
of LA because LA has all that. You've just never
(28:37):
been there, you know, you've never been to the right parts.
Speaker 2 (28:40):
Exactly, And good luck being in your thirties and New York.
Speaker 3 (28:46):
Yeah, good luck.
Speaker 2 (28:46):
Good Look that's for your twenties, Okay, I have one
last question for you. There's ray Irl and then there's
like on the Internet, and I feel like on the
Internet is like this larger than my figure because there
are these trending sounds that you have become known for,
these iconic sound bites, Like there's one that came into
(29:08):
my feed the other day. It's the one that goes
like you wake up at the mirror and you realize
these other bitches ain't even close. Do you have a
favorite ray meme or trending sound? I don't know what's sure.
I don't know what's trending.
Speaker 3 (29:22):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (29:23):
I know that Me season I was like the only
thing where I know like, oh this was this became
a thing and that cracked me up. And even Rihanna
responded to that because the second half of that was
like it's me season unless Beyonce and Rihanna released something.
I was begging them not to release something. So Rihanna
was like, don't worry about me since I've got released
in that thing. I was like, yay, but but I
(29:48):
guess that, yeah, I don't know what else is out there.
I love that people claim a season as their own.
Speaker 3 (29:55):
Yes, Okay, So as you enter into this big birthday.
What are you in now? What era are you now?
Speaker 4 (30:02):
I'm trying to be in a fine forties, you know
what I'm saying. I'm just like, like just that. That's
what it's about, to be an apologetic, like the aspirational
version of myself that I want to be. Maybe maybe
I am going to dress up to go into work.
Nobody hold me today, but maybe maybe I'm gonna be
who I envision myself being in my head.
Speaker 3 (30:22):
Wait, what do you normally wear to work?
Speaker 4 (30:25):
Jeans? T shirt, sometimes sweats. If I know nobody's going
to see me.
Speaker 3 (30:29):
Never change, never change. Thank you so much, so much.
Speaker 2 (30:37):
Isra is the co creator and Starve and Secure and
creator of rap Shit. Her latest film, One of Them Days,
hits theaters tomorrow Friday, January seventeenth. That's it for today's show. Tomorrow,
we're popping off on all the latest pop culture stories
with comedian and actor Tehran. Join the conversation using hashtag
(30:59):
the bright Side and connect with us on social media
at Hello Sunshine on Instagram and at the bright Side
Pod on TikTok oh, and feel free to tag us
at Simone Voice and at Danielle robe.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
Listen and follow the bright side on the iHeartRadio app,
Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 2 (31:17):
See you tomorrow, folks, keep looking on the bright side.
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Simone Boyce
Danielle Robay
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