Issa Rae stars as ’90s black sitcom characters in her new photoshoot for GQ, in which she discusses her rise and life as the show runner and star of Insecure.
During a behind-the-scenes-clip of her photoshoot, Rae is seen portraying Steve Urkel from Family Matters, Moesha from (what else) Moesha, Will Smith from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and Dwayne Wayne from A Different World. Not only is she dressed perfectly for each role, but her personality fits just as well for each classic character she’s acting as.
Elsewhere in her feature story, which will be a part of GQ Magazine‘s “Comedy Issue,” the funny lady explains that while she’s often bringing the laughs, she’s not always “on.”
“I do feel like people expect me to be entertaining,” Rae explains. “And I’m not. I’m not an entertaining person. I don’t put on for anybody. I think about someone like Tiffany Haddish, who’s just naturally entertaining, who always has a story. And that’s just not my lane. I’m always gonna be the shy one.”
“I only want to make my presence felt when I feel like it’s necessary,” she continues. “And so much of that is such a hard balance, especially when the narrative is about getting noticed and getting attention for a specific product. And in that way, yeah, I want the eyes to be on what the product is…But after a while, you become the product.”
Read the entire feature here.
Press play for 30 seconds of nonstop @IssaRae—and a behind-the-scenes look at her #GQComedyIssue shoot https://t.co/kzm6KX8NAU pic.twitter.com/NPMn5mAiEJ
— GQ Magazine (@GQMagazine) May 22, 2018