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Issa Rae Says Self-Quarantining Makes Her ‘Sad’ and Affects Her Desire to Work

By | Published on May 26, 2020
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Sheltering in place for Issa Rae has taken a toll, to the point where she finds herself less engaged about working considering the uncertainties relating to COVID-19. The actress and screenwriter who is executive producer of HBO’s “Insecure” has completed some scripts and is writing more — albeit not without challenges — while also promoting her new romantic comedy “The Lovebirds” with co-star Kumail Nanjiani.

It initially had an April 3 release date, but was pushed back because of COVID-19. Netflix has since picked up the film, and it premiered on the streaming site Friday, May 22.

Issa Rae spoke about the film and her self-isolating struggles to Entertainment Tonight.

Issa Rae talked about how self-quarantining has been affecting her. (Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images)

She expressed feelings of wanting to disengage from everything when sharing about how staying at home during the coronavirus pandemic has affected her.

“I’ve been getting a lot done; I turned in two scripts and I’m working on the third one,” she explained. “But it’s like, you don’t even know if we’re going to be able to shoot these anytime soon. So now I’m like, am I working for nothing? I’ve reached that phase where it’s like, let me just be sad and wake up sad and not do anything. I’m trying to get back into my groove again.”

“The Lovebirds” tells the story of a longtime couple about to end their relationship. On the way to a dinner outing an accident occurs, and they get framed for murder. The characters spend the rest of the film trying to clear their names, which sends them on a long, bizarre adventure.

Rae and Nanjiani have been promoting the movie virtually due to the virus — something that Nanjiani finds convenient, but that Rae finds stressful.

“I get anxiety about it,” she admitted. “Like I know my internet is s—-y, and I’m gonna be frozen on the screen in a stupid position. I feel like internet connections are gonna have to step up.”

She added, “I think people are going to try to get creative in terms of how they’re showcasing talent, and they already are — but I know as a viewer I’m not trying to watch a split-screen of Zoom that I also use on all my conference calls. That’s not appealing to me.”

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