Rachel Sennott joins the digital interview and right away launches into an apology. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, seeming genuinely regretful. Despite being only a bit behind, she needs to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, in this context, this is exactly what one hopes to hear. Additionally, it’s fairly unsurprising. Those who have seen the fearlessly openly gay and outspoken movie Bottoms—which Sennott penned with Emma Seligman and featured in alongside close companion the talented actress—can understand that she has a lot to say, ranging from about identity, relationships, or the merits of forming a high-school combat group. And, by the end the recent seasonal show titled I Love LA, viewers realize that the star carries additional perspectives regarding the struggles of young adulthood (As a millennial, Sennott represents an honorary member for this generation, straddling eras adept for bridging millennials and Gen Z).
Guiding Lights and Storytelling Approach
Likenesses to Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking show naturally arise and the actress readily acknowledges a fan, naming it together with the classic series, Issa Rae’s show and Atlanta as inspirations for I Love LA, which follows the struggles of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and ally and fledgling talent manager portrayed by Sennott. However, the largest presence on creative vision belonged to the HBO series, the HBO sitcom about an up-and-coming Hollywood star succeeding in a corrupt LA scene (memorable line: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She started watching it throughout the pandemic, became “obsessed”, and resolved to add a fresh perspective on it “targeting women and LGBTQ+ viewers”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she notes. The inspiration for I Love LA came—to some extent—from her own, originally fractious, move to LA and from her saturn return, a frequently discussed occurrence for followers. That period marked a time that involved her grasp some big life lessons, work-wise and personally. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she says. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Early Beginnings
Brought up in Connecticut, Sennott commenced developing and showcasing stand-up while studying theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she says. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. I tried out for all the NYU plays and didn’t make it into any of them. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, appearing at live shows with Ayo and uploading hysterical (and distinctly) weird comedy videos digitally. One, titled Baby Cult, centered on a group of women fetishistically obsessed with having babies; a different one envisioned working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as akin to being caught in a thriller. By chance, she met Seligman through the university’s film scene and ended up featuring in her directorial debut, titled Shiva Baby, a tense dramedy set at a religious event with echoes of the intense thriller. The central motif of her career, she says, has been contemporaries giving her a shot, instead of traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she repeats, continuing with a laugh: “They don’t want us to win.”
Rising Success
Anyone who were skeptical about Sennott earlier will certainly be regretting it now. As part of she labels a “incredibly circular” development, she appears to created her dream vehicle. Previously she posted content titled on LA life online, in which she parodied movie previews (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a comedy about LA residents balancing the perks of digital stardom (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with drawbacks (your friend being accused of being a intoxicated stealer, and potentially becoming a unreliable pariah). Some could tempting to produce a program about online fame that was extremely idealized—or, more problematic, one that punched down at its subjects. This show avoids both, creating a representation of privileged young adult existence that’s candid about the grot and the shine.
Empathetic Approach
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” she observes. “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
