Rachel Sennott joins the video call and immediately starts an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, seeming genuinely regretful. Despite being only slightly late, she needs to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Thankfully, in this context, that’s just what is ideal to experience. Moreover, it’s fairly expected. Anyone who know the unapologetically queer and brash film titled Bottoms—that Sennott collaborated on with her creative partner and starred in together with close companion Ayo Edebiri—would be aware that Sennott has a lot to discuss, be it on roles, intimacy, or the appeal of starting a high-school brawl society. Plus, by the end her latest eight-part HBO series titled I Love LA, viewers realize that the star has even more perspectives on the darker side of modern youth (Now in her thirties, Sennott is a relatable figure to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial skilled for connecting millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Storytelling Approach
Parallels to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and the actress admits to being an admirer, naming the show in addition to Sex and the City, Insecure and the innovative program as inspirations for I Love LA, which tracks the struggles of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend and new representative Maia. However, the biggest spot on the moodboard went to the popular sitcom, the show depicting an up-and-coming celebrity succeeding in a corrupt Hollywood (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott began viewing it throughout lockdown, became “obsessed”, and chose to create a new version on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she notes. The concept for this project emerged—partly—from her own, originally difficult, transition to Los Angeles and from the cosmic event, a frequently discussed event for astrology heads. It was an era that saw her learn some big truths, professionally and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she recalls. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Humble Origins
Brought up in Connecticut, the star started writing and performing comedy while enrolled in theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
Sennott decided to act independently, appearing at live shows with Ayo and uploading hilarious (and decidedly) weird comedy videos online. One, Baby Cult, followed several females obsessively obsessed with motherhood; a different one portrayed being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being trapped in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she met Seligman through campus film circles and eventually starring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful film set at a funeral gathering with echoes of the intense thriller. The big theme of her career, she explains, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, instead of the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she emphasizes, continuing with a laugh: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Rising Success
Those who had doubts about her previously will likely be regretting it today. Through she calls a “astonishingly complete” story, she has achieved her dream vehicle. In 2019 she uploaded a video named on LA life on the internet, in which she lampooned movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Now, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a comedy about Angelenos balancing benefits of online celebrity (such as socializing at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your client being suspected of being a drug-addled thief, and perhaps becoming a risky pariah). One might tempting to produce a show about digital influence that was overly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at those depicted. I Love LA steers clear of each, creating a representation of privileged young adult living that’s honest about the mess and the appeal.
Balanced Perspective
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” she comments. “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
