Issa Rae On Inclusion In Interracial Romances

When Issa Rae isn’t behind the camera, she’s in front of it. So needless to say, the in-demand actress and writer is super busy these days.

Recently Issa Rae, who stars in not one, but two, romantic films this year, opened up about her on-screen romances with actors Lakeith Stanfield (The Photograph) and Kumail Nanjiani (The Lovebirds). Unlike the more drama-centric The Photograph, Rae and Nanjiani play a fun twosome in their upcoming rom-com, which includes everything from bizarre accidents to police chases and the occasional “I love you’s” in-between.

READ MORE: Is ‘The Photograph’ The New ‘Love Jones’? The Cast And Director Weigh In

During a recent sit-down interview with Variety, Rae opened up about the significance behind her and co-star Nanjiani’s representation of interracial dating on the big screen, as it pertains to non-white love interests.

“‘The Lovebirds’ is more [of a] romantic-comedy-mystery, starring a Black female and Pakistani male as leads. I don’t know if I’ve seen that pairing in that way, ever,” Rae told Variety host Audrey Yap.

While contemplating films that could possibly compare to the on-screen pairing of her and Nanjiani, Rae cited Denzel Washington‘s and Sarita Choudhury‘s 1991 film, Mississippi Masala. “I think about Denzel in ‘Mississippi Masala,’ and even that is still a different pairing, gender wise. It’s just, every time there is an interracial romance, it feel like it centers whiteness, and it doesn’t have to,” the actress stated.”If you didn’t know, there are people who don’t procreate with just white people,” Rae added.

The Lovebirds centers around couple Leilani (Rae) and Jibran (Nanjiani) on the brink of a breakup, who get entangled in a murder mystery, and must work together to clear their names.

The Lovebirds comes out April 2020.