Issa Rae has revealed that she lost a project amid the SAG-AFTRA strike.
During an interview with Marie Claire for the Power Issue, she revealed how the recent actors’ strike impacted her career as an actress, writer and producer.
“The strike was devastating,” Issa said candidly. “I’ve been building (a project) for five years and now it’s gone.”
The actress continued, “On the (entertainment) business side, we lost some employees. That really, really sucks. But this industry is changing so much.”
The SAG-AFTRA strike, which began on July 14, ended on November 9 after the union approved a tentative agreement with Hollywood studios.
Elsewhere in the interview, the 38-year-old stated that she is trying to adapt to the constantly changing dynamics of the entertainment industry.
“For me, it’s like, ‘Okay, but what now?’ I know that executives and networks aren’t going to be as receptive as they were to Black-focused content,” Issa explained. “I’m not pivoting, but I’m just trying to be more strategic in terms of the stories that I tell and maximizing our impact.”
“I only have a foresight of what isn’t going to be,” the “Insecure” star noted. “There’s certain things that I want to take advantage of outside of the industry just because I feel like (the industry) doesn’t know what it wants to be, it’s in flux. And there are no innovators anymore… I want to be able to have control of my own destiny.”
Issa, real name Jo-Issa Rae Diop, also discussed her role as a “storyteller.”
“I’m a storyteller at the end of the day and if there is a story bursting out of me, somebody’s going to hear it,” she stated. “I’m fortunate enough to be able to have a platform where they mostly can. And I like the challenge of getting an audience invested in a story.”