Rachel Sennott joins the digital interview and right away launches into an apology. “I can’t believe I’m late!” she states, appearing genuinely regretful. Although she's only a couple of minutes delayed, she feels compelled to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Earlier calls made me late—I just can’t stop chatting!” Thankfully, for a writer, this is just what you want to hear. Additionally, it’s pretty unsurprising. Those who have seen her unapologetically openly gay and unapologetically crass film titled Bottoms—that Sennott co-wrote with Emma Seligman and featured in together with her friend The Bear’s standout—will understand that Sennott holds much to say, whether on identity, relationships, or the appeal of starting a high-school fight club. And, after watching her latest multi-episode show I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star holds even more insights about the struggles of young adulthood (As a millennial, she represents an honorary member of the gang, straddling eras adept for connecting different age groups).
Inspirations and Artistic Direction
The comparisons to the iconic series Girls are inevitable and the actress admits to being an admirer, citing it alongside the classic series, the acclaimed comedy and Donald Glover’s series as influences for I Love LA, which tracks the journey of an influencer Tallulah and close companion and new agent Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the most significant spot on creative vision was reserved for the HBO series, that program depicting a rising A-list actor making his way in a corrupt entertainment industry (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She began viewing it during lockdown, became “obsessed”, and resolved to create a new version on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“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 emerged—in part—from her own, at first fractious, transition to Los Angeles and from her saturn return, a popular event for astrology heads. This represented a time that involved her grasp significant truths, work-wise and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she says. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Humble Origins
Growing up in the East Coast, the star started writing and performing stand-up while pursuing acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” she says. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “Theatre productions at school also didn’t accept me. And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott decided to act independently, taking the stage at amateur nights with her friend and uploading hilarious (and decidedly) weird online content on the internet. One, Baby Cult, followed characters fetishistically drawn to motherhood; another portrayed working at the brand Hollister as akin to being trapped in a scary movie. Interestingly, she connected with Emma through NYU’s movie community and ultimately appearing in her directorial debut, Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a Jewish wake with hints of the Safdie brothers’ movie. The big theme of her career, she says, has been people her own age offering opportunities, rather than the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “They were not involved”, she confirms, adding amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Rising Success
Those who questioned regarding her then will certainly be feeling foolish today. Through she calls a “incredibly circular” story, she seems to have achieved an ideal role. Previously she uploaded a video titled “it’s LA” online, in which she mocked movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about LA residents managing the perks of digital stardom (such as partying at Elijah Wood’s house) with its pitfalls (your client being labeled as being a substance-abusing criminal, and possibly becoming a unreliable persona non grata). One might simple to make a program about digital influence that was extremely aspirational—or, more problematic, one that belittled at the characters. I Love LA avoids both, making for a portrait of advantaged millennial living that’s frank about the mess and the appeal.
Empathetic Approach
“Many programs portray youth and online life with disdain and mockery,” 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
