Issa Rae says she feels no ‘responsibility’ to be a role model: ‘I’m very transparent about my mistakes’

‘If I had a legion of 12-year-old girl fans, I would be more cautious, but I don’t think that’s the case’

Issa Rae has led a trailblazing career as the creator for hit shows like Insecure and Rap Sh!t. While the 37-year-old actor’s rise to fame is worthy of admiration, Rae has shared why being a role model to others is something she never wished for herself.

“I don’t feel any responsibility,” she told Elle for the magazine’s 2022 Women in Hollywood issue. “I’m like: ‘If you look up to me, proceed with caution. That’s on you. I’m sorry, while also flattered. But good luck to you if you do.’”

Although Rae welcomes the praise, she admitted that she’s only human and is very susceptible to making mistakes. “I’m very transparent about my mistakes. I’m very transparent about my journey,” she said. “But I don’t have to watch myself or what I do. If I had a legion of 12-year-old girl fans, I would be more cautious, but I don’t think that’s the case.”

It’s been nearly a year since the final season of Insecure aired on HBO. Now, Rae is busy being her own boss and creating opportunities for Black women. But when it comes to working in Hollywood in a post-#MeToo era, Rae said the entertainment industry still has a long way to go.

“It feels like we’re regressing, depressingly so. There are just too many enablers for there to be real change. People have to be held accountable. There have to be legitimate consequences. Hollywood is very bad about consequences,” she told Elle.

Rae continued: “It’s literally the worst industry when it comes to punishing people for misdeeds and actions, because money will always reign supreme. That’s something that, even by working in this industry, we’re enabling. So it’s hard.”

One person who Rae believes has not faced accountability is actor Ezra Miller, who she described as a “microcosm of Hollywood”. Miller, who uses they/them pronouns, has recently been involved in several allegations ranging from disorderly conduct and assault to grooming and burglary. Despite the claims, production giant Warner Bros is still going forward with the release of next year’s The Flash movie, with Miller as its star.

“While I don’t support people jumping to immediate conclusions and I think it’s entirely fair for investigations to happen, I think it’s extremely important to, like the mantra says, ‘Listen to women,’” Rae explained.

“I’m gonna be real, the stuff that’s happening with Ezra Miller is, to me, a microcosm of Hollywood,” she added. “There’s this person who’s a repeat offender, who’s been behaving atrociously, and as opposed to shutting them down and shutting the production down, there’s an effort to save the movie and them. That is a clear example of the lengths that Hollywood will go to to save itself and to protect offenders.”

Rae added that once Hollywood ends its “pattern of abuse”, women can finally stop living “in fear of keeping silent because it’ll ruin their careers.”

However, the comedian has also realised how she can make change in the industry, starting with her own production company, Hoorae Media. “What I have realised is that I can control my own environment and who I work with,” Rae said. “I can hold people accountable within my world and my bubble. I don’t have to work for everybody. All money isn’t good money. All people aren’t good people.”