Issa Rae’s character, Issa, on her hit HBO show “Insecure” has a part-time gig as a Lyft driver but she tried to sign up as a driver for the ride-hailing app in real life just two years ago. “I rented a car to write the first episodes [of the second season of the show] in December, and the rental car that I had, I drove it all the way to Malibu,” the Los Angeles native said.
“I bought a full tank [of gas] but I didn’t use it. So I thought, ‘I’m not returning this car with all this gas. I paid for it — I’m just going to lose money.’ ”
Rae told us that despite her growing fame after the first season of the comedy aired, she hatched a brilliant plan to sign up as a Lyft driver and take fares until she’d used up the tank, then return the rental.
“So I filled out the application. I got the sticker [to go on her car from Lyft] and then I got denied because I had some stupid traffic violation in 2014.”
Although her scheme didn’t pan out, it became fodder for her show.
“I told the writers how I tried to do that and they found it hilarious. And they asked, ‘What if people recognized you?’ But I wasn’t even thinking about that, because Season 2 [of ‘Insecure’] didn’t even come out yet. And it was in Malibu so I thought that I would be OK.”
She added, “There are so many creative people using ride sharing as a means to make some additional income, and Issa definitely needed that extra income.”
The third season of the show premieres Sunday.
via pagesix
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