See the stars of Insecure celebrate their bond in EW's cover shoot photos

It's almost time to say goodbye, okay?! Issa Rae's Emmy-nominated HBO comedy Insecure returns for its fifth and final season Sunday night with one existential question on its mind: Will Issa (Rae), Molly (Yvonne Orji), and Lawrence (Jay Ellis) be okay? Ahead of the premiere (and hopefully an answer to that heavy question), EW brought the trio together to toast Insecure's run, their friendship, and more in our latest digital cover story. Click through to see the photos from the shoot (Fun fact: This was Rae, Orji, and Ellis' first shoot as a group since their Three Rounds interview with EW ahead of season 2's 2017 debut.)

Rae, Orji, and Ellis had each other's backs during the final season, which was shot during the pandemic. "It felt like we finished running a marathon, and we carried each other through that in so many ways," says Rae. "There's just so much love in front of the camera, behind the camera. It just felt great."

"It was really just up to me and Jay to build our chemistry. He's such an easy person to love. I just have so much respect for him as an actor and as a person," says Rae. "As an actress, I think the first time I felt connected to him was doing that shower sex scene [in season 1]. Feeling like, 'This is a comfortable person.' And then shooting the penultimate episode in season 1 where we have that big fight. Up until that day we were shooting that scene, we were always in good spirits, always joking and being cool. I remember in the middle of those scenes [that came before] he stopped talking to me to get himself in the zone. I felt wrong. I found myself really caring about him [and wondering], 'Did I do something wrong?' That dynamic of really feeling the emotion in the scene as if I had personally wronged him, [that's when I realized], 'There is definitely an attachment to this character and I hope the audience is the same way.'"

"We all felt very familiar to each other in a way," says Ellis, reflecting on the early days of their friendship in season 1. "The exploration of new and finding new things about each other felt very fun and very interesting. We wanted to know more about each other and spend more time with each other. So I think that just been this amazing chemistry we've been blessed naturally to have with each other."

"It's not fabricated," says Orji of the trio's hilarious, hyper, and affectionate chemistry. "Like Jay just called me the other day and we were on the phone for an hour just giving each other advice about different things in the industry. That's my big bro. And then Issa and I, talk about big up queens. We just be like, 'Oh, I see you!' 'Oh no, I see you!' 'Oh, you see me seeing you?' We literally love each other. We are the Too Hype Crew. Like we hype each other up. We will support each other, and just generally be there for one another."

"I'm getting excited about just getting this [final season] out to the world, and part of me is really scared," says Rae. "I hope this isn't the end of the show's discussion. I know a show's ending can determine whether or not it has that classic placement and that classic feel. I'm going to enjoy this time while everybody still f---s with the show heavy, and I hope I get to live in it as long as I can."

"Issa has already been very vocal about how there will never be a movie. I still am holding out hope," says Orji. "She was like, 'You writing it? Is it going to be Molly's journey? What is it?' But one thing about Issa Rae: when she says something, she means it."