MADEFEATURES
MADEXXXX
see glorified on TV or music is really not that
experience. I think that what we’re seeing with
Lawrence is a dude who is insecure and doesn’t
know who to talk to about those insecurities,
doesn’t know who he should trust, doesn’t
telling the truth. I don’t think we have to deal with
it in any way. We get to have fun and the writer
uses a lot of stories and experiences of themselves,
myself and Issa Rae. They use a lot of our personal
experiences as well. Not a lot, but they mix all of
these stories together to tell Issa, Lawrence and
Molly’s story. The well won’t run dry.
Insecure:
Behind The Scenes…
ISSA, MOLLY, TASHA—
KISS, MARRY OR KILL?
“Kiss Tasha, marry Issa and I guess I have to
kill Molly. (laughs) Molly is just too messy!”
ISSA VIBE
know who he should confide in or whose
advice he should take. That’s a very real thing
and I’ve definitely been through those moments
before.
MADE: Insecure is such a relatable show and
speaks to the various stories you find in the black
community. Do you or the cast feel any pressure
being on one of the hottest shows right now?
JE: Nah. I definitely don’t and I don’t think we
do. We’re lucky enough to have so many great
writers and actors with so many experiences that
are so real. I feel like when you’re drawing from
real life there is no pressure because we’re telling
real stories that just happen to be with fictional
characters, but their stories that everyone can
relate to. I know that as long as we’re focused on
that and our writers, I don’t think we’ll ever have
to worry about living up to something. We’re just
JE: The vibe on set is a lot of fun. Every single
guest cast that we have always leaves saying,
“Thank you guys so much. This was so fun. I’ve
never been on a set like this.” Everybody is just
so cool and it starts with Issa Rae and it trickles
down. We play a lot of games, we’re pranking
each other and telling jokes. Everyone gets
excited about snacks and second meal. Or I’ll ask,
“Where did you get those fries?” and then we’ll
all go get fries together. We’re just a big family,
like a bunch of kids. There’s really no grandma or
grandpa watching us. It’s like a bunch of cousins
together playing. And that’s everyone—the
PA’s, our crew, everybody. It never feels like a
hierarchy on set. It truly feels like we’re doing this
together and we feel like a team. It’s an amazing
feeling.
MEMORABLE MOMENTS
JE: One of my favorite moments is when the
legend, Ms. Debbie Allen, directed an episode last
year and it was the first episode that Lawrence
and Issa had sex after a really long time. She really
walked us through how she wanted us to get to
the bed and how she wanted Issa throw me down
and rip my clothes off. Debbie Allen is all of 5’2
and I’m 6’4 and Debbie threw me on that bed and
jumped up me and said [to Issa], “This is how you
do it!” and “This is yours. You just take it. This is
your man and you love him.” When I tell you,
Debbie Allen pushed me on this bed and I was
like ‘Ok, Debbie.’ It was absolutely hilarious.
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