Rachel Sennott joins the digital interview and at once starts an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, appearing genuinely regretful. She is only slightly behind, she needs to clarify. “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!” Luckily, in this context, this is exactly what is ideal to hear. Besides, it’s pretty expected. Viewers familiar with her unapologetically queer and brash movie Bottoms—which she collaborated on with Emma Seligman and featured in alongside close companion The Bear’s standout—would already know that Sennott has a lot to discuss, whether about roles, intimacy, or the pros of creating a teen brawl society. Plus, by the end the recent multi-episode HBO series I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she holds additional thoughts about the challenges of Gen Z life (As a millennial, she serves as a relatable figure to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial adept for bridging millennials and Gen Z).
Guiding Lights and Creative Vision
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott admits to being an admirer, referencing it together with Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and Donald Glover’s series as influences for I Love LA, which tracks the travails of an influencer played by Odessa A’Zion and her friend and fledgling agent Maia. Notably, the biggest spot on concept went to the HBO series, the show focusing on a rising celebrity making his way in an often-seedy Hollywood (choice quote: “nobody’s happy in this town except for the losers”). Sennott started watching it throughout COVID-19, became “captivated”, and resolved 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 notes. The idea for I Love LA came—in part—from personal, originally rocky, transition to Los Angeles and from her cosmic event, a frequently discussed phenomenon for enthusiasts. It was a time that saw her learn some big truths, work-wise and in private life. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” she recalls. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. It was almost like these biblical tests …”
Starting Out
Raised in Connecticut, Sennott started writing and performing humor while studying acting at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she states. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” “It left me questioning my purpose and place.”
Sennott seized control, appearing at amateur nights with Edebiri and posting hilarious (and decidedly) bizarre comedy videos on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, depicted a group of women obsessively fixated on having babies; another portrayed working at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being caught in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she met Emma through the university’s film scene and eventually starring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious film set at a religious event with hints of Uncut Gems. A recurring idea of her journey, she notes, has been contemporaries offering opportunities, as opposed to traditional networks. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she repeats, adding humorously: “They prefer we don’t succeed.”
Manifesting Dreams
Those who had doubts about Sennott previously will likely be regretting it today. As part of she labels a “wild, full-circle” development, she appears to created an ideal role. A few years back she shared a clip named about Los Angeles on social media, in which she lampooned movie previews (“Everyone’s hooked on something”). Now, she’s a lead creator (with the co-writer) of a show about LA residents balancing benefits of digital stardom (such as partying at a famous actor’s house) with downsides (your client being labeled as being a substance-abusing criminal, and perhaps becoming a “brand unsafe” outcast). Some could simple to produce a show about digital influence that was extremely aspirational—or, more problematic, one that belittled at the characters. The series steers clear of each, making for a depiction of advantaged young adult living that’s honest about the grot and the glamour.
Balanced Perspective
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
