Stories about Yvonne Orji's vow of celibacy "already exist in the zeitgeist and there is nothing to add," said the co-star of HBO's "Insecure."
But one has to try, so I did last week during a phone call before Orji's appearance at Bethel University in St. Paul for Super Bowl Gospel Celebration. The event was a spiritual component to the NFL's biggest game.
Orji has freely talked about being a 30-something virgin in interviews with Vogue and the L.A. Times. Her personal life is the opposite of her character Molly, an attorney with a spicy sex life on the comedy-drama created by the star, Issa Rae, and Larry Wilmore, host of Comedy Central's dearly missed "The Nightly Show."
On my phone call with Orji, her PR person interrupted when I asked if the comedian's hormones were confused or if she wants to marry a virgin."Can we skip this one?" PR said.
Q: Have you noticed any interesting looks while wearing the T-shirt you created that reads: "Keeping It Locked Until I Get That Rock"?
A: It limits conversations. You already know what time it is when you have a shirt with such a bold declaration. It kind of answers any questions the reader may have.
Q: Your character Molly is a poster model for positive mental health — seeing a shrink because she was partying and behaving like a garden tool.
A: What we like to say on the show is that you can have everything going great and you still need somebody to talk to; you can have things you don't understand. It [could be] rooted in something that happened to you as a child or at work. I definitely think [even] if you're good you should still go see a psychiatrist. If you're unsure, you should go see a therapist. We try to normalize that because in the African-American community, going to see a shrink, you know it's like, "No you don't need to do that. Just go to church." Yes, we can definitely go to church, you can definitely seek the Lord, but there are actual professionals you can talk with and complement your faith. If somebody tells you they are sick, you can pray and believe in their healing; but at the same time, there is still [medicine] they can take.
