Rachel Sennott appears on the digital interview and at once starts an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she states, seeming really regretful. Despite being only a bit delayed, she feels compelled to justify. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, during an interview, this is exactly what is ideal to hear. Besides, it’s pretty expected. Those familiar with her boldly LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass movie Bottoms—that she penned with Emma Seligman and appeared in together with her friend The Bear’s standout—would already know that Sennott has plenty to share, whether about roles, sex, or the appeal of forming a high-school fight club. Plus, by the end the recent multi-episode show I Love LA, viewers realize that she holds additional perspectives regarding the challenges of Gen Z life (At 30, Sennott represents a relatable figure of the gang, on the cusp with a knack for bridging millennials and Gen Z).
Inspirations and Creative Vision
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and Sennott readily acknowledges enthusiastic, citing the show in addition to Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and Atlanta as inspirations for her series, which details the travails of a social media star played by Odessa A’Zion and close companion and fledgling talent manager portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the largest presence on creative vision was reserved for the HBO series, that show about a rising A-list actor making his way in an often-seedy Hollywood (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott discovered it amid COVID-19, became “hooked”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I wanted to make a show where the internet, not Hollywood, was the industry, because my career started online,” she explains. The concept for I Love LA originated—in part—from her own, at first rocky, transition to Los Angeles and from the cosmic event, a popular occurrence for astrology heads. That period marked a phase that involved her grasp some big insights, work-wise and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she admits. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Brought up in New England, Sennott commenced developing and showcasing comedy while pursuing performance at a prestigious arts school. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she says. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” “I wondered why I was even there at all.”
She took matters into her own hands, performing at amateur nights with Ayo and uploading uproarious (and very) unconventional comedy videos online. One, titled Baby Cult, followed characters obsessively drawn to motherhood; another imagined being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being caught in a thriller. Interestingly, she connected with Emma through NYU’s movie community and ultimately starring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, a stressful comedy set at a Jewish wake with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The central motif of her career, she says, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, rather than established gatekeepers. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, continuing amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Career Breakthrough
Anyone who questioned about her earlier will likely be regretting it now. In what she calls a “wild, full-circle” development, she appears to manifested an ideal role. In 2019 she posted content called “it’s LA” online, in which she parodied movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a show about Angelenos managing advantages of digital stardom (such as celebrating at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your client being labeled as being a intoxicated criminal, and possibly becoming a unreliable pariah). Some could easy to create a program about digital influence that was overly idealized—or, more problematic, one that punched down at the characters. I Love LA avoids both, resulting in a portrait of affluent young adult living that’s candid about the chaos and the glamour.
Nuanced Portrayal
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
