‘Insecure’: Why Yvonne Orji Worried About Being Removed From Her Parents’ Will After Her Sex Scenes Aired
Actor Yvonne Orji became famous for her role as Molly on HBO’s Insecure. The comedy, created by Issa Rae, follows two 20-something best friends figuring out their personal and professional lives in Los Angeles. Throughout the show’s four seasons, Molly was in several steamy love affairs. However, Orji had strong reservations about her character’s sex scenes.
Yvonne Orji recently shared her first thoughts on her ‘Insecure’ character, Molly
Insecure premiered on HBO in 2016. Since the show’s pilot, Issa’s (Rae) friendship with Molly has been one of the main themes. The friends met in college but found their lives changed drastically as adults. While Molly always thrived as a lawyer, Issa struggled to see what she wanted to do for her career. Molly also searched endlessly for a romantic partner on the show while Issa was in a long-term relationship in season one.
When Orji signed on for Insecure, she didn’t know which direction her character would take. While promoting her new book, Bamboozled by Jesus, Orji shared with Hailey Bieber on her YouTube Channel that she learned about the scenes after the show received a green light from HBO. OBB Pictures produce the channel.
“Molly read as this like, corporate chick who could switch from C suite to like the hood,” Orji explained. “There was only one episode written, so we hadn’t gotten to her backstory. I asked the question, and I felt comfortable signing, but then obviously, you know more episodes are written, and Molly has a sex scene.”
How Yvonne Orji handled her ‘Insecure’ sex scenes
During their conversation, Orji explained to Bieber how she found out about her future sex scenes. At season one table read, the Night School actor saw that the writers wanted Molly and her beau, Jared (Langston Kerman) to sleep together. Since Orji already signed on for the role, she had to do an intimate scene, which wasn’t a dealbreaker.
After Bieber applauded Orji for showing Christian creatives that they can work and celebrate their faith, the actor admitted that she feared how Christians would see her after the show premiered. Additionally, the 37-year-old actor was afraid her parents might cut her off financially if they saw the scenes. In her 2020 HBO special, Momma I Made It, Orji said she had strict parents as a child.
“I’ll never forget Season 1, episode six, and I was like ‘oh this, this is happening,’’’ Orji recalled. “But by then, it’s like I’m the one you cast. I had been telling them all season like “yeah, I can’t show my areolas; my mom is still alive. I don’t want to be taken out of the will.” My parents got land in Africa, and I don’t want to be taken out of the will.”
The actor also said she knew exactly what she did and didn’t want to show during her scenes.
“I made like a four-minute compilation video to be like this is what I’m comfortable with,” Orji continued. “Because I also knew I couldn’t go in there and be like I’m a Christian, I love Jesus so what I’m not going to do they’d be like ‘great let’s recast her now.’ So I had to meet them where they were in order for me to understand how to help them meet me where I was. I was nervous they were going to be like this is where the road ends. Thankfully that was not the situation.”
Insecure will air its fifth season in 2021.
