Issa Rae Says ‘Insecure’ May Explore ‘Toxic Black Masculinity’ In Season Three

We’re just two months away from the return on HBO’s hit comedy Insecure and we can’t wait to see what Issa, Molly, and Lawrence have been up to. Though the team has been super mum about what we can expect in the upcoming season, a new interview with Issa Rae, the show’s creator and star, may give us some clues.

Rae spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about her show, and how it feels to be both the star and the driving force of the production. While other actors can concentrate on showing up and executing their lines, as the executive producer, Rae has even more responsibilities.

“As a creator, you think you’re just going to create, but there are so many moving parts and so many business aspects,” she explained. “So having to be business-minded while trying to be creative and not care what is going to sell is a lot. Sometimes I want to be in actor mode, not producer mode, or vice versa.”

In the upcoming film The Hate U Give, Rae experienced what it was like to just focus on acting, and she loved it.

“I was like, ‘Whoa, I don’t have to be here after my scene is done? I can just leave? I don’t have anything to do with the decisions? I have time in my trailer to just chill until they need me?’ That was just crazy to me [but also] really cool and made me want to do that again,” Rae said.

While Rae will have another chance to just act in the film Little with Black-ish star Marsai Martin, fans are amped about Insecure’s return. And according to Rae, the new season may deal with toxic Black masculinity.

“I love Black masculinity as it relates to Black women,” she said. “I think that’s something interesting that we haven’t gotten a chance to explore yet — and specifically toxic male Black masculinity as it relates to black women. I’m trying to find a way to explore that and get a rounded storyline that isn’t preachy.”

Rae also said season three will be about “adulting.”

“This season is about adulting in a new way. I think we’ve watched our characters really fumble and f–k up — and in some ways in your 20s you are allowed that — but this season is about not acting like you’re naive anymore or that you don’t know better,” she explained. “So it is about, what does it look like to know better and to do better?”

After last season, Issa, Molly, and Lawrence definitely need to “do better” and we can’t wait to watch it all.

Insecure returns to HBO on August 12.