Rachel Sennott appears on the online meeting and right away launches into an explanation. “Apologies for the delay!” she says, sounding genuinely remorseful. Although she's only a bit behind, she wants to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, during an interview, this is exactly what you want to encounter. Moreover, it’s pretty expected. Anyone who know her fearlessly openly gay and unapologetically crass film titled Bottoms—which she co-wrote with Emma Seligman and featured in alongside collaborator Ayo Edebiri—can understand that she possesses a lot to share, be it about identity, sex, or the merits of creating a high-school fight club. And, by the end her recent multi-episode show I Love LA, viewers realize that the star carries even more insights about the struggles of Gen Z life (At 30, she is a relatable figure of the gang, straddling eras with a knack for straddling millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show are inevitable and the actress is enthusiastic, referencing the show in addition to the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as inspirations for her series, which follows the travails of an influencer Tallulah and close companion who is also new representative Maia. Notably, the largest presence on the moodboard was reserved for Entourage, that HBO sitcom depicting an emerging Hollywood star succeeding in an often-seedy LA scene (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She discovered it amid COVID-19, became “captivated”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she notes. The idea for I Love LA came—partly—from her own, initially difficult, transition to Los Angeles and from the cosmic event, a frequently discussed occurrence for astrology heads. That period marked an era that included her understand some big life lessons, in her career and in private life. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she says. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Starting Out
Growing up in Connecticut, the star started developing and showcasing stand-up while enrolled in performance at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she explains. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, appearing at amateur nights with Ayo and uploading hysterical (and distinctly) bizarre online content on the internet. A particular video, titled Baby Cult, centered on several females intensely obsessed with pregnancy; another envisioned being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being trapped in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she met Seligman through NYU’s movie community and eventually featuring in her first film, Shiva Baby, a stressful dramedy set at a Jewish wake with shades of the Safdie brothers’ movie. A recurring idea of her journey, she notes, has been peers supporting her, as opposed to established gatekeepers. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, stating with a laugh: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who were skeptical about Sennott earlier will likely be regretting it today. Through she describes as a “astonishingly complete” turn of events, she seems to have created her dream vehicle. In 2019 she posted a video named “it’s LA” online, in which she lampooned movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a show about LA residents juggling the perks of online celebrity (such as celebrating at a famous actor’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being accused of being a substance-abusing stealer, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” pariah). Some could simple to make a show about online fame that was extremely idealized—or, more problematic, one that mocked at its subjects. The series steers clear of each, creating a depiction of affluent young adult life that’s candid about the grot and the shine.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” she says. “I think that young people have been through a lot – I’m mostly thinking of people younger than me, like my little sister, who went to college during Covid, so she had to come home, or my other sister who was doing school online.”|“The younger generation has faced significant
