Insecuredelivered a major surprise in the final moments of Sundays episode.
Clearly, they didnt mean the entire season.
People literally didnt know I was showing up to set.
Merie W. Wallace/HBO
It was like a homecoming feeling.
you could expect it to be fun to watch, says Ellis.
I really think its just about the encounter.
Justina Mintz/HBO
Its all really built on that moment.
You dont know what to say, or you say too much, or whatever it may be.
In a brief moment, we get to see Lawrence and Issa kind of go through that.
Below, Ellis opens up about how he found he wouldnt appear in the first four episodes and more.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: I want to start at the beginning.
I was down in the production office.
I was like, Oh, Ive got a long vacation.
We think thatll work in this way.
And this is what were thinking, and what do you think?
I was like, Yeah, guys, its cool.
Dont worry about it.
Ill be on vacation, so when you need me just let me know.
Ill be on a beach somewhere.
So, I actually did go away.
I was actually on a beach for hiding.
Well see what happens.
I think thats always a bit of a shock.
I think anyone would be like, Wait, what?
Am I on the show, or am I not on the show?
Whats going on?But no, I didnt freak out, man.
I actually had a really good calm about it.
I stepped back and still watched everything they were doing and was just genuinely happy for them.
I dont know whats going on.
Im watching this stuff in real-time just like everybody else.
Also, I spent five weeks out of the country, so that helped.
I think Issa was misquoted, and I think its actually very unfair that she was misquoted.
I think what Issa actually said was, Were taking a break from Lawrence.
A break doesnt mean a season.
A break could mean an episode, it could mean 30 minutes, it could mean a year.
She didnt actually put a time limit on what the break was.
But, there were conversations that had been happening since March about all of this.
So, it was a lot of, how do you market this show with this character gone?
How do you surprise people?
How do you push the show along when people are expecting that storyline?
I gotta give Issa and Prentice a lot of credit.
For me, the answer was always no.
Also, I think it really goes back to, more importantly, whats true to the writing.
What happens in life when you break up with somebody?
You dont always see your exes again.
Sometimes you do, sometimes you dont.
How did you feel about the fans response to the news?It was absolutely amazing.
A friend of mine sent me the petition.
He was like, Have you seen this?
Hes a few hours ahead of me.
I opened it up first thing in the morning, and I literally just started laughing.
All I could think is, These fans are so amazing.
But I will say the Lawrence Hive is one of the most amazing hives to ever exist.
Do you stick around for the rest of the season?You gotta watch to see.
Insecureairs Sunday nights at 10:30 p.m. on HBO.
