Rachel Sennott joins the digital interview and immediately begins an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, sounding truly regretful. Although she's only a couple of minutes delayed, she wants to explain. “I have such a problem, because I’m a yapper on the phone. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Fortunately, during an interview, that’s exactly what one hopes to hear. Moreover, it’s fairly unsurprising. Anyone familiar with her fearlessly queer and unapologetically crass film titled Bottoms—which Sennott co-wrote with her creative partner and starred in with collaborator the talented actress—would already know that she possesses much to discuss, whether about gender, relationships, or the appeal of creating a high-school combat group. And, by the end the recent eight-part show I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star has even more thoughts regarding the struggles of modern youth (As a millennial, she is an honorary member for this generation, a tale-end millennial skilled for straddling both generations).
Influences and Creative Vision
Likenesses to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and Sennott is enthusiastic, referencing the show in addition to the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and the innovative program as influences for her series, which tracks the struggles of an influencer Tallulah and her friend who is also new representative portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the biggest presence on the moodboard went to the HBO series, the program depicting a rising Hollywood star succeeding in a corrupt Hollywood (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). Sennott discovered it amid COVID-19, became “hooked”, and decided to put her own twist on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she notes. The inspiration for the series originated—to some extent—from her own, initially rocky, move to Los Angeles and from the saturn return, a much-talked-about event for astrology heads. This represented a time that included her grasp significant life lessons, work-wise and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “In my mid-20s, I moved to LA and got settled. And then I felt like everything started to just fall apart. “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Humble Origins
Brought up in New England, Sennott started creating and acting stand-up while enrolled in acting at NYU’s Tisch. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she states. “Auditions for university comedy troupes led to universal rejection. “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
She decided to act independently, appearing at live shows with Ayo and sharing hilarious (and decidedly) unconventional comedy videos on the internet. One, titled Baby Cult, centered on several females intensely obsessed with motherhood; another portrayed being employed at a trendy retail outlet as akin to being stuck in a horror film. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Emma through campus film circles and eventually featuring in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a funeral gathering with hints of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her path, she says, has been peers giving her a shot, as opposed to the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “Definitely not them”, she repeats, continuing amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Anyone who questioned regarding her earlier will likely be regretting it now. In what she calls a “incredibly circular” story, she has achieved the perfect project. In 2019 she posted a video titled about Los Angeles on social media, in which she mocked film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Now, she’s the co-showrunner (with the co-writer) of a comedy about LA residents balancing the perks of online celebrity (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your associate being suspected of being a drug-addled criminal, and possibly becoming a unreliable outcast). It would be simple to produce a series about digital influence that was horribly glamorous—or, more problematic, one that punched down at its subjects. I Love LA avoids both, making for a depiction of affluent young adult existence that’s frank about the mess and the appeal.
Empathetic Approach
“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
