HBO's Yvonne Orji to play Goodnights in Raleigh

Yvonne Orji was headed for a career in medicine when an unexpected, less stable option grabbed her attention, and it hasn't let go.

Posted 3:18 p.m. Sep 6, 2018 — Updated 3:18 p.m. Sep 6, 2018

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RALEIGH, N.C. — Yvonne Orji was headed for a career in medicine when an unexpected, less stable option grabbed her attention, and it hasn’t let go.

Orji, a stand-up comedian and actor who headlines Goodnights Comedy Club in Raleigh this weekend, said divine intervention is partially responsible for her choosing show business instead of becoming Dr. Orji.

Judging by the success of her artistic endeavors, it appears Orji made the correct choice.

In addition to headlining comedy clubs, Orji has a co-starring role in HBO’s Emmy-nominated series "Insecure," which is in its third season. Orji plays Molly, the best friend of Issa, who is played by show creator and lead writer Issa Rae.

During a Tuesday afternoon phone interview, Orji and I discussed what she thought of "Insecure" after seeing a script for the first time, how her family felt about her decision to become an entertainer, touring with one of her comedy idols and more.

Enjoy the interview, follow Orji on Twitter and don’t forget The Best Tweet I Can Find in Five Minutes at the end.

Tony Castleberry: Were you or are you surprised by the response to "Insecure" or did you think all along that the show would be a hit?

Yvonne Orji: Oh man, Tony. Once I read the script the first time, I said, “I know one thing. I want to be a part of this.” I just thought the voice, the writing, the story, the characters, it just jumped off the page. The fact that HBO is giving us an opportunity to tell a very true and authentic story, it immediately got the green light in that way. Everyone who enjoys wholesome stories, character development, enjoys just seeing a slice of life about friendships is going to love the story.

TC: The realness of it really comes across. Even people who haven’t watched since the first episode of the first season can probably still get down with it, don’t you think?

YO: Everyone can get into it. All races. I was in Hawaii and I promise you, this 60, 65-year-old couple came up to me. They were Caucasian, and they were like, “We love the show. We watch it every Sunday.” I was like, “God bless you.” I get stopped by people of all races, all ages. They say something about what they relate to. It’s a friendship comedy. It’s a love story. If you’ve ever lived in LA in your mid-20s to 30s, you can totally relate to a lot of the mistakes we make. It’s relatable on so many levels.

TC: Were your parents supportive when you told them you wanted to pursue a career in show business?

YO: It was very foreign to them. One, because they’re foreigners. [interviewer, Orji laugh] I was going down the med school path. (Show biz) wasn’t anything I thought I wanted to do and it wasn’t anything they ever imagined I would be doing. I can understand their confusion.

My trajectory was, I literally heard the voice of God tell me to go head on into it. I was like, “Huh?” It made no sense to me, but sometimes God throws U-turns into our plans and I’m glad he did because it’s worked out for the better. Initially, it was a surprise to everybody involved.

TC: I know you’ve gotten some acting experience under your belt now, but where do you stand with your stand-up career? You did stand-up before getting into acting, right?

YO: Yeah, I started stand-up in 2006. That’s been kind of my vehicle. That’s how Issa (Rae) found me performing before I even got to be her sidekick on Insecure. Stand-up has been my vehicle into entertainment.

I got the opportunity to open for Chris Rock during his Total Blackout Tour, which was phenomenal. Playing Madison Square Garden and Barclays Center, those experiences are awe-inspiring. First of all, to be with one of your comedy idols and see them performing at the maximum level and then just being able to be a fly on the wall. Opening for him, that was crazy.

Then, I sold out some shows at Carolinas at the top of this year so I’m really looking forward to coming to Raleigh to see what the audience there is like.

TC: I’m guessing you don’t travel to Raleigh a lot. Is there nervousness before you perform in a new city?

YO: It’s my first trip to Raleigh. I’ve got family in Charlotte and they’re gonna drive down and come see me.

I’m nervous every time I step on the stage, to be quite honest. My stomach goes into my chest and it’s like, “I don’t know what to do!” Then the minute I hear my name called, it’s like, “Oh, this is what you look forward to. Let’s go.” I think most performers, it doesn’t matter how long we’ve been doing it, what stages they’ve performed on, there’s a sense of...it’s not even stage fright. It’s kind of like you’re going into battle. Every audience is different. Your job is to bring humor into their lives for as long as you’re going to be with them. It’s daunting and exhilarating and such a fulfilling package all in one. It never gets easy, but there’s a rush after you finish it. Every new audience, every new stage kind of gives me a slight moment of anxiety, but once I hear my name called, it’s game time.

Here it is, The Best Tweet I Can Find in Five Minutes:

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