Issa Rae Calls Hollywood "The Worst Industry" Because It Doesn't Hold Anyone Accountable "For Misdeeds And Actions"
While there were some flaws with the #MeToo movement, it helped to expose a lot of the injustice and abuse that was happening in Hollywood. Actress and writer Issa Rae criticizes the industry for failing to address many of issues that were brought to light.
Issa Rae's HBO show Insecure came to a close at the end of 2021, but she has been working on her own passion projects since then. She premiered her new series called Rap Sh!t, as well as the second season of Sweet Life: Los Angeles, a reality series produced by her own media production company. In an interview with Elle, Issa reveals her true thoughts on what goes on in Hollywood and shares how she protects herself in a predatory industry.
Issa Rae Calls Hollywood "the Worst Industry" Because It Doesn't Hold Anyone Accountable "for Misdeeds and Actions"
Issa is set to appear in Greta Gerwig's upcoming film Barbie, and her dream is to own a studio in South L.A, so she's certainly no stranger to the Hollywood scene. However, she's highly critical of the industry and admits that there is a lot that needs to change. She says there really hasn't been anything that has changed about Hollywood. In fact, Issa thinks it's "regressing, depressingly so." There are "too many enablers" for there to be any lasting change in L.A.
"People have to be held accountable. There have to be legitimate consequences," she said. "Hollywood is very bad about consequences. 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. What I have realized is that I can control my own environment and who I work with. 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.”
She says it's "extremely important" for people to listen to women, but that doesn't mean there shouldn't be a fair investigation of whatever claim is made. "It starts with a backbone," she added. She calls out one name in particular.
"I’m gonna be real, the stuff that’s happening with Ezra Miller is, to me, a microcosm of Hollywood," she explained. "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. So, don’t do that, and women may be able to thrive. They won’t have to live in fear of keeping silent because it’ll ruin their careers. It’s just a constant pattern of abuse that’ll only persist if Hollywood continues to insist on being this way.”
When prompted about what advice she wishes her younger self knew, she said, "That a lot of people really don’t know what they’re doing and don’t know the answers." It can be "so intimidating" to start off in Hollywood when you're new to the scene, but she says the people who seem like they have it all figured out really "don't know anything" and they're learning along the way.
"These are just people who are winging it," she advised. "You can do the same amount of research, the same amount of reading, and the same amount of studying as they can to be a step ahead.”