Issa Rae is taking steps to go ‘independent’ after a wave of Black-led TV show cancellations

Issa Rae denounces prejudice in the entertainment industry.

He Insecure creator and star was profiled by Goalie to talk about his new movie American fiction, which takes aim at the hypocrisy and narrow-mindedness of white audiences who consume black entertainment. Rae observed alarming trends happening behind the scenes in Hollywood that reflect the dynamics of the film. “You’re seeing so many Black programs being canceled, so many executives being laid off, especially on the DEI side,” Rae said. “Now you’re seeing very clearly that our stories are a lower priority.”

Rae doesn’t have a particularly hopeful view of the industry’s future, in part because her series Rap shit! was canceled on Max after two seasons. “I am pessimistic, because no one holds anyone responsible, and I can do it, of course, but at what cost? “I can’t make you do my things,” he said. “It’s made me take more steps to try to be independent in the future if I need to.”

However, that doesn’t affect Rae’s enthusiasm for her job. “I’m writing a couple different projects, one for myself and one to produce and create with others, and I feel very inspired and excited to get back into it,” she explained. “I am accepting that challenge. The industry is constantly changing, so it really inspired me to focus and focus on the stories I want to tell. “I have focused on launching these projects.”

Rae said she ultimately agrees with her character Sintara’s assertion that “anger should be directed toward white audiences who put very specific works about Black people on this pedestal, as opposed to more diverse representations of Blackness.” . I don’t think it’s a secret that many white critics and audiences tend to reward traumatizing depictions or their own skewed perceptions of what blackness is. It’s frustrating.”

Rae was in three movies last year. American fiction, Barbieand Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. These three projects were nominated for the Academy Awards last week.

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