“The ’90s had lots of black television and film … a lot of the shows were helmed by black people,” she recalls. “That’s what inspired me to at least try it.”
“It took place in my neighborhood in Los Angeles,” says Rae, 35, who grew up in Inglewood. “It was a story about a tomboy who played basketball, which I identified with. Omar Epps was gorgeous, and Sanaa Latham was every woman in a way that I hadn’t seen before — a relatable black woman. And then behind the scenes it was directed and written by a black woman. It just felt so grounded. It was just a regular love story that wasn’t rooted in any kind of trauma.
“All I can do is either discredit the Oscars as a non-objective party to merit film or buy into it and just be like, ‘Oh, maybe those films weren’t worth nominating,’ but I think it’s just a tired conversation.”“There are a lot of bumps,” Rae says. “I feel like we’re always in these cycles. Like this is not the first time this has happened. This won’t be the last time. We’ll see what the Oscars do next year with the attention and the ears and eyes of so many people.