Rachel Sennott enters the digital interview and right away launches into an explanation. “Oh my God – I’m sorry!” she exclaims, appearing genuinely apologetic. Despite being only slightly behind, she wants to clarify. “I tend to talk too much during calls. “Previous discussions went over, and I realized I talk too much!” Luckily, in this context, this is exactly what you want to experience. Besides, it’s quite unsurprising. Those familiar with her unapologetically LGBTQ+ and unapologetically crass movie titled Bottoms—which Sennott co-wrote with Emma Seligman and appeared in alongside her friend The Bear’s standout—would be aware that she has plenty to discuss, whether on gender, intimacy, or the appeal of creating a teen combat group. Plus, by the end the new seasonal show titled I Love LA, it is clear that she carries further perspectives regarding the darker side of modern youth (At 30, she serves as a bridge to younger audiences, a tale-end millennial adept for straddling different age groups).
Influences and Storytelling Approach
The comparisons to Lena Dunham’s Girls naturally arise and the actress readily acknowledges a fan, citing it alongside Sex and the City, the acclaimed comedy and Donald Glover’s series as inspirations for her series, which details the travails of an influencer Tallulah and close companion who is also fledgling talent manager Sennott’s character. However, the most significant influence on creative vision belonged to the HBO series, the program depicting an up-and-coming A-list actor navigating in an often-seedy Hollywood (notable statement: “only the unsuccessful find joy here”). Sennott discovered it amid COVID-19, became “hooked”, and chose 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 says. The concept for I Love LA came—in part—from personal, at first fractious, transition to Tinseltown and from the cosmic event, a popular occurrence for enthusiasts. That period marked a time that involved her grasp some big life lessons, work-wise and personally. “In my early 20s I was so messy, crying in public everywhere, all the time,” she says. “Settling in LA during my mid-twenties brought calm, but soon everything unraveled.” “It resembled a series of extreme challenges…”
Starting Out
Growing up in Connecticut, the star began developing and showcasing stand-up while studying theatre at a prestigious arts school. “Despite trying every conventional route, I couldn’t find my footing,” 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, taking the stage at amateur nights with her friend and sharing uproarious (and decidedly) weird comedy videos online. One, titled Baby Cult, centered on several females fetishistically drawn to having babies; a different one portrayed being employed at the brand Hollister as like being caught in a scary movie. In a neat twist of fate, she met Emma through campus film circles and ultimately featuring in her first film, Shiva Baby, a tense comedy set at a religious event with shades of the intense thriller. The big theme of her journey, she says, has been people her own age giving her a shot, rather than the industry at large. So, not the gatekeepers, then? “They were not involved”, she repeats, adding amusedly: “Our victory isn’t their goal.”
Manifesting Dreams
Anyone who had doubts about her then will likely be feeling foolish today. Through she labels a “wild, full-circle” story, she seems to have achieved the perfect project. Previously she posted a clip called on LA life online, in which she lampooned Hollywood trailers (“I’m addicted to drugs – we all are”). Six years on, she’s executive producer (with Emma Barrie) of a comedy about LA residents managing the perks of online celebrity (such as socializing at a celebrity’s house) with its pitfalls (your friend being accused of being a substance-abusing criminal, and perhaps becoming a unreliable persona non grata). Some could easy to create a program about internet celebrity that was overly glamorous—or, more problematic, one that belittled at those depicted. I Love LA steers clear of each, making for a representation of privileged twentysomething living that’s frank about the mess and the shine.
Nuanced Portrayal
“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
