\n\tIssa Rae received a standing ovation when she was honored with the Equity in Entertainment Award at\u00a0The Hollywood Reporter<\/em>\u2019s Women in Entertainment breakfast gala, presented by Lifetime, held Wednesday at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles. <\/p>\n

\n\tYvonne Orji presented her Insecure<\/em> co-star with the Equity in Entertainment Award, which recognizes individuals who amplify the voices of underrepresented communities in the entertainment industry.<\/p>\n

\n\tRae began her speech with an amusing anecdote from a trip to Las Vegas with her friends, for an Usher concert \u2014\u00a0her love for the singer, she joked, \u201coutweighs\u201d her hate for Vegas. While there she said she took a weed juice can, which led her to later \u201csink into this lonely, scary, paranoid, timeless loop.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThat\u2019s what happens to me. And this loop is really frightening because all I do is think repeatedly about and replay all the things that I\u2019m most terrified of,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd one of those things is the idea of my mortality and the mortality of those that I love. And one of the mind loops I was in had me aging really rapidly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tShe went on to say that when she asked her friends whether she looked old, a friend pointed out that that\u2019s seemingly been on Rae\u2019s subconscious, \u201cgetting old generally and feeling like time is running out.\u201d The fears, she explained, proved to be a motivating factor for her work creating inclusive content reflecting diverse voices.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI\u2019m asked about amplifying underrepresented voices and diversity all the time. And one of the questions I get often and frequently struggle to answer is, \u2018Why is it so important to you to give opportunities and open doors for others who look like you?\u2019, \u201d Rae said. \u201cBut now I think it\u2019s all about time. I\u2019m obsessed with the time that I have left and a small window that I have to make the changes that I want to see before I hopefully get old and die. I think operating from that scared place is actually really helpful because it makes you impatient about waiting for shit to happen. And it makes you fearless about the things you normally might be afraid of, like rejection, embarrassment or diminishment.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\u201cSo, in a sense, I want to say thank you Hollywood Reporter<\/em> for rewarding my paranoia. I\u2019m gonna keep moving, like I don\u2019t have many moves left,\u201d she said before thanking her team and paying tribute to an actress, writer and producer friend who died suddenly last week. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe met on a small digital shoot back in 2011 and became really fast friends when we realized how much we had in common in our industry pursuits,\u201d Rae said. \u201cAnd she was always very intentional and aware of time and made the absolute most of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tRae\u2019s honor follows the mogul\u2019s longtime series\u00a0Insecure<\/em>\u00a0ending last year \u2014 she received her third Emmy nomination for best actress in a comedy this year. With a five-year overall deal with WarnerMedia, Rae, via her Hoorae production company, created and executive produced HBO Max comedy\u00a0Rap Sh!t<\/em>, and is also developing a revival of docuseries\u00a0Project Greenlight<\/em>. She recently appeared in B.J. Novak\u2019s\u00a0Vengeance<\/em>, is part of the cast of in Greta Gerwig\u2019s\u00a0Barbie<\/em>\u00a0and will voice the role of Spider-Woman in\u00a0Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n\tTHR<\/em>\u2019s Women in Entertainment gala was sponsored by Best Buy, Cadillac, Spotify, eOne, FIJI, Gersh and SAG-AFTRA and in partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles, Chapman University, College Access Partnership and Loyola Marymount University. The gala took place in conjunction with the publication of\u00a0the Women in Entertainment Power 100 list. <\/p>\n