Rachel Sennott appears on the video call and immediately starts an excuse. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she says, sounding truly remorseful. Despite being only a bit delayed, she wants to explain. “My phone conversations always run long.” I had two calls before this, and I’m like, I’ve gotta stop talking!” Thankfully, in this context, that’s just what is ideal to hear. Besides, it’s quite unsurprising. Viewers who have seen her unapologetically LGBTQ+ and outspoken project Bottoms—which she penned with Emma Seligman and featured in together with collaborator the talented actress—would understand that she holds a lot to discuss, be it on identity, sex, or the appeal of forming a teen fight club. Plus, by the end the new eight-part HBO series titled I Love LA, it becomes obvious that she has further thoughts regarding the challenges of Gen Z life (At 30, she is a relatable figure to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial skilled for connecting different age groups).
Influences and Artistic Direction
The comparisons to the iconic series Girls can’t be avoided and the actress is a fan, naming it alongside the HBO hit, Issa Rae’s show and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for the project, which details the journey of an influencer Tallulah and ally who is also fledgling agent portrayed by Sennott. Perhaps, the most significant influence on concept belonged to the popular sitcom, that show depicting an up-and-coming Hollywood star navigating in a gritty entertainment industry (notable statement: “happiness eludes everyone but failures in this city”). She started watching it throughout lockdown, became “hooked”, and decided to add a fresh perspective on it “for the girls and the gays”.
“My aim was to focus on digital fame over traditional entertainment, as my own beginnings were on the web,” she says. The idea for the series came—in part—from her own, initially difficult, move to LA and from her cosmic event, a frequently discussed occurrence for astrology heads. That period marked a phase that saw her grasp some big truths, work-wise and individually. “My twenties began with constant public emotional outbursts and disorganization,” she recalls. “After relocating to Los Angeles in my mid-twenties, I found stability, only for things to crumble. “The struggles felt almost mythic in scale…”
Humble Origins
Raised in the East Coast, the star started creating and acting humor while pursuing acting at New York University (NYU) Tisch School of the Arts. “I went through all the proper channels to try to perform, and they weren’t gelling,” she says. “Every campus humor group turned me down after tryouts.” “None of the university plays cast me either.” And I just felt like, what am I doing here?”
Sennott took matters into her own hands, appearing at live shows with Ayo and posting hysterical (and distinctly) weird skits digitally. One, Baby Cult, depicted characters fetishistically drawn to motherhood; a different one imagined being employed at the brand Hollister as like being caught in a thriller. Interestingly, she connected with Emma through NYU’s movie community and ultimately starring in her initial project, Shiva Baby, an anxious comedy set at a Jewish wake with shades of the intense thriller. A recurring idea of her journey, she notes, has been peers offering opportunities, instead of traditional networks. So the old guard wasn’t helpful? “Definitely not them”, she emphasizes, continuing amusedly: “They don’t want us to win.”
Manifesting Dreams
Those who were skeptical about her then will likely be feeling foolish now. Through she labels a “incredibly circular” development, she appears to achieved her dream vehicle. A few years back she uploaded a clip titled “it’s LA” on the internet, in which she mocked film promos (“Substance abuse is rampant here”). Years later, she’s executive producer (with her partner) of a series about Angelenos managing benefits of digital stardom (such as partying at a celebrity’s house) with downsides (your client being accused of being a substance-abusing stealer, and possibly becoming a “brand unsafe” persona non grata). Some could easy to produce a series about online fame that was overly glamorous—or, even less favorable, one that punched down at its subjects. This show does neither, making for a depiction of advantaged young adult existence that’s candid about the grot and the glamour.
Empathetic Approach
“There have been a lot of shows that depict young people and their relationship to the internet in this very condescending, hateful way,” 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
