Rachel Sennott appears on the video call and immediately begins an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, appearing truly apologetic. She is only slightly delayed, she feels compelled to justify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Fortunately, in this context, that’s exactly what one hopes to experience. Additionally, it’s quite predictable. Those familiar with the unapologetically queer and unapologetically crass movie Bottoms—which Sennott co-wrote with Emma Seligman and starred in with close companion the talented actress—would already know that she holds much to discuss, ranging from on gender, intimacy, or the pros of forming a youth combat group. Furthermore, after watching her new eight-part HBO series titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that the star holds even more insights on the struggles of Gen Z life (As a millennial, Sennott represents a bridge to younger audiences, on the cusp with a knack for bridging different age groups).
Guiding Lights and Artistic Direction
Parallels to the iconic series Girls naturally arise and the actress readily acknowledges a fan, naming the show alongside Sex and the City, Insecure and the innovative program as influences for I Love LA, which follows the struggles of a social media star Tallulah and close companion and new agent Sennott’s character. Perhaps, the biggest influence on the moodboard went to the popular sitcom, the show depicting an emerging celebrity making his way in an often-seedy LA scene (choice quote: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). She started watching it amid the pandemic, became “obsessed”, and decided to create a new version on it “with female and queer audiences in mind”.
“I sought to highlight online platforms as the new industry, since my professional journey launched there,” she explains. The inspiration for this project came—to some extent—from her own, at first difficult, relocation to Los Angeles and from her cosmic event, a much-talked-about occurrence for astrology heads. That period marked an era that included her learn significant truths, in her career and individually. “During my younger years, I was chaotic, often breaking down in public,” 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 was almost like these biblical tests …”
Early Beginnings
Brought up in Connecticut, the star commenced developing and showcasing stand-up while enrolled in theatre at NYU’s Tisch. “I followed traditional paths to get on stage, but nothing clicked,” 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 took matters into her own hands, taking the stage at open mics with her friend and uploading hysterical (and decidedly) weird online content on the internet. One, Baby Cult, depicted characters fetishistically drawn to having babies; a different one imagined being employed at the preppy clothing store Hollister as like being trapped in a thriller. In a neat twist of fate, she connected with Emma through NYU’s movie community and ultimately appearing in her initial project, titled Shiva Baby, a tense film set at a Jewish wake with shades of Uncut Gems. The central motif of her path, she says, has been contemporaries offering opportunities, instead of the industry at large. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, adding humorously: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Individuals who questioned regarding her earlier will surely be feeling foolish currently. In what she calls a “incredibly circular” story, she seems to have manifested the perfect project. In 2019 she shared a clip named about Los Angeles on the internet, in which she lampooned movie previews (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Years later, she’s the co-showrunner (with her partner) of a comedy about city dwellers juggling benefits of internet fame (such as celebrating at Elijah Wood’s house) with drawbacks (your associate being labeled as being a intoxicated stealer, and perhaps becoming a unreliable persona non grata). Some could tempting to produce a show about online fame that was horribly glamorous—or, more problematic, one that punched down at the characters. The series steers clear of each, creating a depiction of privileged twentysomething living that’s candid about the mess and the glamour.
Balanced Perspective
“Numerous series present younger generations and digital culture in a derogatory manner,” 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
