Corona-era love star Rainey Qualley takes to the Hustle booth

When celebrities hang out (literally) with Bustle writers, we want to give them the chance to make their mark. Literally. So we handed them a pen, a piece of paper, a few questions, and asked them to get creative. This time, Love in the Time of Corona star Renee Cooley will be leaving her mark on the buzzing booth.

In late April, musician and actor Rainey Qualley made headlines when he was caught shuffling under the locked gates of the Audubon Center in Debs Park, Los Angeles. The park was closed due to the quarantine, but Cooley, her sister Margaret Cooley and her mother Andie McDowell snuck in for a hike but were caught by paparazzi on their way out. “My mom was mad at me,” Cooley told Buster, laughing. While McDowell - who was caught by photographers leading the family's pooch under the gate - has borne the brunt of the media criticism, Qualley revealed she was the instigator. "[It's] totally my fault. We shouldn't be doing this. But to be fair, other people are doing it too!"

It’s these complex, quarantine-induced behaviors that Kweli’s latest series , Love in the Time of COVID, explores. The free-form miniseries, out now, follows four intertwined families as they all try to adapt to the new normal of the coronavirus pandemic. To adhere to social distancing protocols, the show only stars real couples (like Leslie Odom Jr. and his wife Nicolette Robinson) and a "quarantine team" (Qualey moved in with her co-stars during filming Tommy Dorfman (lived with). The result is a fascinating time capsule documenting one of the most unprecedented eras in recent history. “I think everyone is a little tired of talking about COVID, but that’s not really the issue,” Qualley said. Her character Ellie is a singer who navigates the virtual dating scene with her roommate Oscar (Dorfman). "It's about relationships and relationships in the context of coronavirus. It's about falling in love and family dynamics."

Qualley, who has been creatively inspired by the world's slowed down pace, also recorded an original song for the show called "6ft From Love." But the song isn't the only music she's making these days. Released under her stage name Rainsford (her full name, inherited from her great-grandmother), she will release "Love Me Like You Hate Me," her proudest song to date, in October.

“Writing music has been very therapeutic and self-reflective,” she says of the emotional release that quarantine has brought her. "It represents everything I'm going through right now."

What was your coffee order?

Favorite overused movie line?

What was your favorite cartoon as a child?

Describe reality TV in one word:

Who is your celebrity idol?

Favorite TV couple?

How would you like people to describe you?

Karaoke songs you often listen to?

Draw 3 emojis to describe what is about to happen in your show:

Is there anything else you'd like to add or draw?